Gough Whitlam dead - Australian history

[Vincenzo]

I have just read that Gough Whitlam has died at the age of 98. This is not a political statement but I thought I would share my small part of history with you.

In 1975 I was a 17y/0 working in the Commonwealth Public Service in Canberra as a Departmental Courier. I had the mail run and the deliveries to / from Parliament House. One day in November I had an urgent delivery to the Minister's Office. Drove to Parliament House, parked out the front as usual and proceeded to enter via the security entrance under the front stairs. Once I was inside, what should have been a 10 minute turnaround was about an hour and a half. Something big was happening but no one was talking. Once I had the response I went to walk out the front doors only to find a lot of people milling around. I eventually got back to my car (1974 Passat Station Wagon) only to be stuck there as a lot of people had gathered.

On the 11th November 1975, Malcolm Fraser (opposition leader) went to see the Governor General, Sir John Kerr to ask him to sack the government of the day as he had the numbers to Govern in his own right. Sir John obliged and David Smith stood on the steps of the old Parliament House and announced what had just happened. He ended the reading of the declaration with "God save the Queen".

Then Gough uttered his famous words, "Well may he say God save the Queen, for nothing ... will save the Governor General".

So it was a young 17y/o got to see a piece of Australian History. I have to say Gough was an extremely powerful figure standing there .

RIP Mr Whitlam.


Cheers Vincenzo

[poppa smurf]

98.....not a bad innings.......large, powerful man.

[Bearman]

Gough Whitlam was a significant figure in our history. Whatever your political persuasion, love him or hate him he will never be forgotten.

I was still a kid when he was in power then dismissed. My view of him was, and will always be painted by being in a conservative rural electorate from a farming family. My political persuasion is conservative but he did do some good things. Perhaps he was ahead of his time??

The fact that he and Malcolm Fraser became such good friends after being bitter enemies just shows how much common ground the two found in each other over time. In any case there will never be another Gough Whitlam. RIP.

[MrEL]

Like him or Loathe him , he was a massive part in Australia's history.
I knew he had done a lot of stuff , some controversial but it wasn't until today that I realised just how much he had a hand in.
For people to sit there and bag the crap out of him , make sure you have not previously used and never plan to use any of the things he got up off the ground , a lot of which is still around today.

[superyob]

Originally Posted by Vincenzo

I have just read that Gough Whitlam has died at the age of 98. This is not a political statement but I thought I would share my small part of history with you.

In 1975 I was a 17y/0 working in the Commonwealth Public Service in Canberra as a Departmental Courier. I had the mail run and the deliveries to / from Parliament House. One day in November I had an urgent delivery to the Minister's Office. Drove to Parliament House, parked out the front as usual and proceeded to enter via the security entrance under the front stairs. Once I was inside, what should have been a 10 minute turnaround was about an hour and a half. Something big was happening but no one was talking. Once I had the response I went to walk out the front doors only to find a lot of people milling around. I eventually got back to my car (1974 Passat Station Wagon) only to be stuck there as a lot of people had gathered.

On the 11th November 1975, Malcolm Fraser (opposition leader) went to see the Governor General, Sir John Kerr to ask him to sack the government of the day as he had the numbers to Govern in his own right. Sir John obliged and David Smith stood on the steps of the old Parliament House and announced what had just happened. He ended the reading of the declaration with "God save the Queen".

Then Gough uttered his famous words, "Well may he say God save the Queen, for nothing ... will save the Governor General".

So it was a young 17y/o got to see a piece of Australian History. I have to say Gough was an extremely powerful figure standing there .

RIP Mr Whitlam.


Cheers Vincenzo

This is simply a recount of an historical event. I fail to see how certain posters find this political...

[Work Horse]

Laughing at the truth, cos Gough was tough til he hit the rough
Uncle Sam and John were quite enough

Too much of sunshine too much of sky
It's just enough to make you want to cry
It's just enough to make you want to cry

Oh the power and the passion, oh the temper of the time
Oh the power and the passion
Sometimes you've got to take the hardest line......

RIP Gough.

[CoupeKing]

Originally Posted by Work Horse

Laughing at the truth, cos Gough was tough til he hit the rough
Uncle Sam and John were quite enough

Too much of sunshine too much of sky
It's just enough to make you want to cry
It's just enough to make you want to cry

Oh the power and the passion, oh the temper of the time
Oh the power and the passion
Sometimes you've got to take the hardest line......

RIP Gough.

And approve an Uranium Mine

[39ClevoUte]

RIP Gough, thankyou for JJ.

[supershifty]

Before my time for voting as I was born in 1966, but I believe he did much for Australia.

Got a Medicare card? Still here today.

Free university education for the masses who wished to take it on - gone now, but many have benefited from it. Some of our greatest professionals benefit and contribute to our society today.

Indigenous land rights and respect for the indigenous folk was forwarded from Mr Whitlam in the early 70's.

I was only a kid when Mr Whitlam got to be in power. Anything else I could add would only be considered political.

On both sides of politics there's been many great leaders/parties that have done great things for Australia - let's leave it at that. Aussie democracy works - it just cycles!

Cheers!

[SpoolMan]

Post 13 sums it up.
some off you need or look for any little and I mean little thing to stuff up other members threads.
Post your thoughts and move on, and show some respect to the family keep it civil or you will be locked out.

[buggerlugs]

Malcom Fraser just said on the Project that Gough had "an indigestion of ideas" when he came to power. Meaning he had so many great ideas but tried to push them thru all at once.........
A lot of respect for each other, Malcom and Gough, and both have done a lot of unrecognized work for their country after politics.................

[Syndrome]

In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.

- George Orwell

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

So the rewriting of history has commenced. All who post here must praise the deceased PM. His flaws and fallings must be glossed over.

"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell

Posts in the bar on AFF=historical documents

[SSD-85]

FFS, Some people just. do. not. get. it.

-Bloke is reminded of personal experience with the recently deceased, makes a thread.
-Knobs turn thread into Blown-out barely related philosophical-political BS
-People get upset over essentially nothing
-Thread gets closed
-Similar thread pops up in future
-Rinse & repeat

[Maka]

Condolences & best wishes to the Whitlam family, Gough will never be forgotten by many here in Australia & oversea's. Rightly so - he was an outstanding human being on so many levels. RIP Gough in heaven with Margaret.

cheers, Maka

[Uncle_Ken]

politicians impact on all our lives. Some more than others. Gough was a more politician for sure. Now wether that was a good or bad thing depends on how you try to live your life.
For me in general I assume the worst from politicians, it kind of goes with the job. Gough changed things and in a small country like Australia that impacts more loudly than in a large country. But being 18 at the time I reckon and being that close would be something you would always remember, which is why the post was made. So thanks for sharing a personal memory part out our recent history. It made an interesting read and made me think of days gone by.

UK

[Uncle_Ken]

And PS sorry re the typo's.
UK

[last fairlane]

May the last of the "true believers" rest in peace
your name lives on in my son Andrew John Gough
sadness all round
I lost another hero
John

[zilo]

He lived longer than 99 percent of the contributors of this thread will...

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by zilo

He lived longer than 99 percent of the contributors of this thread will...

And I'd be happy to help shorten a few more years off some in here as well.......

[mechanic]

I was 20 in 1969 and my father was worried about conscription as he had been on the Kokoda track in WW2.
I got the letter telling me that the marbles had come up with 24th September and 26th September, my DOB was 25th September. Boy, was he relieved when conscription was abolished.
Vietnam was a pointless exercise [ apart from those in the arms trade ] and if a PM did nothing else except keep us out of these overseas then they're to be commended.
The French weren't too happy with Gough either, he and his NZ counterpart made lots of noise about the nuclear testing in the Pacific.
At the end of the day though they're all politicians, do some good stuff and some not so good.

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by zilo

He lived longer than 99 percent of the contributors of this thread will...

Quality not quantity.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

Quality not quantity.

is severely lacking in a lot of posts.

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

Quality not quantity.

Are you and "Cheap" the same person ?

[Franco Cozzo]

98 is a good run, I was born many years later and I didn't exist back in the 1970s (my parents did though).

To me I can't understand why he is hated? Medicare, equal pay for women, no university fees?

Whats there not to like about that?

I might not have existed back in the 1970s but I have a Medicare card in my wallet.

[2011G6E]

Absolutely hated the man as a PM, he nearly ruined the joint, high unemployment, needed to be sacked.
However, as a public speaker the man had no equal...magnificent voice, captivating speaker. He could have been reading out an instruction manual for a toaster and the audience would have hung on every word. A great orator.
RIP.


Bit more history: People also forget that when despite the massive outcry over the sacking of Labor, that at the following election shortly after Malcolm Fraser was elected with an overwhelming landslide victory...so the "outraged" public actually supported the removal of Labor.

[castellan]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

98 is a good run, I was born many years later and I didn't exist back in the 1970s (my parents did though).

To me I can't understand why he is hated? Medicare, equal pay for women, no university fees?

Whats there not to like about that?

I might not have existed back in the 1970s but I have a Medicare card in my wallet.

Well maybe this may give you some idea.

We Queenslanders had free Hospital that was way ahead of that filthy backward Medicare.

TV and headline history are not worth jack to having lived it all.

If you worked for yourself his mob tried to destroy you.
Comrades he called his mob and anyone other was seen as the enemy, so it made the divide so wide that common sense went out the window in the struggle of the far left and far right wings that it became a moronic little war going on.

If one was to try to straddle both sides of the fence ? this is the middle ground people looking forward to a healthy nations interest ? you were attacked on both sides full on, because it was not in the lib or ALP favour to nurture such a thing.

If you worked for a wage he just showered you with gifts but sadly it had to be payed for ? not by him that's for sure.

The Libs were typical backward greed driven self centerd stuck up mob that they created a radical leader like Gough.

It's all about power and trying to be fooling the people, like dangling the carrot to cattle and nothing has changed with it all today as you still hear idiots say it's us verses them, what dimwit narrow minded bogans stuck in there own little world of blind hate.

[xxx000]

Originally Posted by castellan

Well maybe this may give you some idea.

We Queenslanders had free Hospital that was way ahead of that filthy backward Medicare.

and you had Joh

it was Medibank that Gough introduced. It became Medicare later

What do you think is wrong with a universal health scheme?

[castellan]

Originally Posted by xxx000

and you had Joh

it was Medibank that Gough introduced. It became Medicare later

What do you think is wrong with a universal health scheme?

More to the point, what was wrong with the one we had hear in QLD is what I am saying, we were way ahead of the rest of Australia by far and we did not need Medibank. As it was fee hear anyway.

[GT2]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

98 is a good run, I was born many years later and I didn't exist back in the 1970s (my parents did though).

To me I can't understand why he is hated? Medicare, equal pay for women, no university fees?

Whats there not to like about that?

I might not have existed back in the 1970s but I have a Medicare card in my wallet.

I think you will find that both these were somewhat introduced to a certain extent buy the previous government.
The majority of medical expenses were tax deductible and university scholarships were readily available.