HAWKE’S GC WELCOME
Back in the mid 1980s then-Prime Minister Bob Hawke was thrilled to be met on arrival by these now controversial Coast ambassadors
THEN-Prime Minister Bob Hawke did not seem to share the same disdain some Gold Coast leaders appear to have nowadays for the Surfers Paradise Meter Maids.
Mr Hawke, who passed peacefully in his sleep aged 89 on Thursday, cut a dapper figure in this photo (above) from 1987 when he visited the Gold Coast.
It was during his Prime Ministership at a time when the Meter Maids were regarded as tourism ambassadors for the Glitter Strip.
They are now a polarising part of the fabric in Surfers Paradise but Meter Maids brand owner Roberta Aitchison said Mr Hawke seemed to be a fan of the concept.
She was part of his official welcoming party at Gold Coast Airport along with fellow Meter Maid Melinda Stewart, greeting him off the plane on the tarmac.
“It was when we were working with the Chamber of Commerce,” Ms Aitchison recalls.
“He thought we were great as you can tell by the expression on his face,” she tells ATG.
“He was very friendly and loved the fact we greeted him – he was very excited about it actually.
“I really enjoyed his company as he was easy to talk to and he really warmed to me as you can see in the photo – he will be sadly missed,” Ms Aitchison says.
“I felt very sad when I heard of his passing but he left a great legacy.
“I became a fan after meeting him because he was every bit the loveable larrikin, a lot of fun and very easy to talk to, definitely a people’s person.”
Ms Aitchison has complained of late about her Meter Maids being allegedly harrassed by council officials but council has denied this.
“But back then we were pretty much the only welcoming party,” she says.
He was very friendly and loved that we greeted him