Participation of Chinese Australians in Australia’s government system since 1972

The fiftieth anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Australia and the People’s Republic of China is an opportunity to review the links between our two countries. 

What follows is an account of one issue indirectly connected with this: participation by Australians of Chinese heritage in government affairs as elected representatives. This account gives most attention to the national level and the election of 21 May 2022. Chinese names have been used where these are publicly available.

Former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975.
National Archives of Australia, CC BY 3.0 au. 

 

Background

Australia is home to about 1.4 million Chinese Australians, just over five per cent of the population. Their experiences are as diverse as their views: many were born in Australia, with lineages that span generations of Australian history. Others have migrated more recently from China or Southeast Asia.

Diplomatic relations between Australia and China resumed with a communiqué signed in Paris late on the evening of 21 December 1972. Prime Minister Gough Whitlam made this the first decision to be implemented after his government was elected only three weeks before on 2 December. It was a significant moment in the relationship between Australia and China. The communiqué followed Whitlam’s visit to China while he was still opposition leader in July 1971 when he met Chinese Premier Zhao Enlai 周恩来. While the visit was mocked by then Prime Minister William McMahon, subsequent events including Henry Kissinger’s later visit showed Whitlam’s foresight.

Ambassadors were exchanged in early 1973. The 50^th anniversary of the Paris communiqué is the opportunity to look at the many facets of the Australia-China relationship not just the participation of Chinese Australians in elected political positions. Participation in political office is not the only measure of a successful community, but it is a measure of the confidence to participate and be accepted in that role.

1973 marked another milestone for Chinese Australians and other non-white communities. The 'White Australia Policy’ was formally abolished by the Whitlam Government after operating for some 70 years. The policy had begun to be dismantled during the previous decade under the Liberal administration resulting in an increase in migration by overseas Chinese from places such as Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. Those wishing to migrate from the People’s Republic of China, including students, could only do so after formal diplomatic recognition provided a means to do this. (See further reading in item one below.) 

Going further, Al Grassby the Minister for Immigration in the Whitlam Government issued a reference paper entitled ‘A multi-cultural society for the future’, coining the phrase and defining the concept. Australians now come from nearly 200 countries and represent more than 300 ethnic ancestries. One in four people in Australia (26%) were born overseas.

The history of Chinese people in Australia pre-dates 1972 of course. (See further reading item two below.) Within a generation of white settlement in 1788, migrants from China were working in the colony of New South Wales. The earliest documented arrived in 1818. He married in 1832, changed his name to 麥世英,‘Mak Sai Ying’ in Cantonese, and was known as John Shying. The mid-century gold rushes attracted thousands more with many staying on to make lives as merchants, artisans, shepherds and agriculturalists. 

 

The Australian system of government

Australia is a representative democracy and one of the oldest liberal democracies in the world. The key feature is that all adult Australian citizens are equally entitled to participate in Australia's democratic political system, not just to vote but also to compete for election. Australia works as a federal system in which state governments are not agents of the federal government but are equally sovereign in their respective domains. Local governments, which may be designated shire, town or city, fall under sovereign state jurisdiction and not under the federal government.

Australia is also a parliamentary democracy. It was formed in 1901 from a federation of six states (former British colonies) which, together with two self-governing territories, each have their own constitutions, parliaments, governments and laws. The Australian Constitution establishes the Federal Government and defines the role of the Parliament, the Executive Government (the Prime Minister and Ministers) and the Judiciary (courts). The Executive Government comes from within the Parliament in contrast to the United States, for example, where the Executive Government is not answerable to Congress. 

The role of the parliament is to consider and make laws including taxation and government expenditure and scrutinise the executive. There are two chambers of the Australian Parliament; the House of Representatives where members are elected for a defined area and the Senate, a house of review where members are elected to represent their state or territory. Each state and territory have similar systems as do local (city) governments overseen by their respective state governments, though Queensland, the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory have only one ‘chamber’.

The three largest political parties are; the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party of Australia, and the Nationals. Labor is Australia’s oldest party, established in 1901, and in 1904 formed the world's first workers' party government. The Liberal Party was formed in 1944 and the Nationals in 1920. Since 1949, the Liberal Party and the Nationals have often formed government as a coalition. There are several smaller parties and an increasing number of independents. The largest of the minor parties is the Greens who polled well in the 2022 national election.

 

Local Government

There are 537 local government councils Australia-wide, more than half of which are in rural, or remote areas and are structured with only one chamber. The trend of increasing participation by Chinese Australians as elected officials is evident in looking at the major state capital city local government areas. In my Council area, for example, the deputy major is a Chinese Australian who has been on the Council since 2016. The increased participation by Chinese Australians is in some ways a predictor of participation in State and Federal parliaments.

Two of the current ten members of the Sydney City Council are Chinese Australians. Robert Kok is a lawyer and three-term City Councillor. He was first elected to Council in 2008 and served as Deputy Lord Mayor from 2011-2012. He is Malaysian-born and migrated 30 years ago. H. Y. William Chan is a Sydney architect, who was elected recently and is a first-generation migrant from Hong Kong. Going back in time, Henry Shiu-Lung Tsang OAM 曾筱龙 was Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney (1991- 1999) as well as a member of the New South Wales Parliament and was born in Jiangxi Province but left during the post-World War Two upheavals. These examples show the variety of backgrounds of Chinese-Australians.

The Melbourne City Council comprises a lord mayor, deputy lord mayor and nine councillors. Three of the nine councillors elected in 2020 are Chinese Australians. Kevin Louie first elected in 2008 was born in Hong Kong and his parents were from Jiangmen in Guangdong Province. Interestingly, his grandfather was born in Bendigo, Victoria, and later migrated to China. Jason Chang was elected in 2020; Philip Le Liu was elected in November 2020 and previously elected in 2016. Earlier, high-profile Hong Kong born businessman John Chun Sai So AO 蘇震西 served as the 102nd Lord Mayor. He was the first Lord Mayor in the city's history to be directly elected by voters; previously, the Lord Mayor was elected by the councillors. He is also the first Lord Mayor of Melbourne of Chinese descent. First elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2004, So is the second-longest-serving Lord Mayor of Melbourne, serving for seven and a half years. Prior to John So, David Wang Neng Hwan 王能焕 (1920-1978) came to Australia in 1942 and became a prominent merchant and Melbourne’s first Chinese-born councillor. Younger Chinese-Australians in politics tend not to use their Chinese name in promotional material, though it is clear they retain pride in their ancestry.

Alfred Huang Guoxin AM 黄国鑫 was born in Chengdu and elected to the Adelaide City Council in 1997. He became the Deputy Lord Mayor three years later from 2000 to 2003. He was elected the first Chinese-born Lord Mayor of an Australian Capital City and promoted Adelaide as a destination for business, investment and study.

Brisbane City Council has the largest number of Council members in local government in Australia with 26 area representatives and 27 councillor positions including the Lord Mayor who is directly elected by residents. Steven Huang is the only counsellor with a Chinese background. He arrived from Taiwan in 1988 as a 12-year-old. He is fluent in Mandarin and understands Cantonese and is a Lord Mayor’s representative for multicultural communities. Huang also stood as a Liberal candidate this year for the Federal seat of Morton in Brisbane. He remarked that ‘despite being one of Australia’s most multicultural seats, Moreton has never had a federal representative born overseas.’ He was unsuccessful, however, with the seat being retained by the Labor candidate with an increased vote. The outcome is likely to be a result of his party affiliation which waned across the country.

There are 12 elected members who represent the businesses and residents of the City of Hobart Council in Australia’s smallest state. There are no Chinese-Australian members at present and have not been in the past; however, two of the current Council members have a south Asian background.

Alex Fong Lim AM 鄺鴻銓 (1931-1990) was the eleventh Lord Mayor of the City of Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory, serving from 1984 to 1990 and the country’s first Chinese Australian Lord Mayor. His grandfather sailed to Australia with friends in a sampan 舢舨 from Guangzhou 廣州 to Darwin in the 1800s. His daughter Katrina Mary Fong Lim was also Lord Mayor from 2012 to 2017. Prior to 1972, the case of Harry Chan Tien Fook OBE is worth noting. In 1959 he was elected to the Darwin City Council and was Mayor from 1966 to 1969. He entered the Legislative Council for the Northern Territory in 1962 and in 1965 was unanimously chosen by his colleagues as the first elected president of the Legislative Council; an office he held until his death in 1969. He was the first Chinese in Australia to hold such positions.

 

State and Territory Parliaments

The Australian Capital Territory has a 25-member Legislative Assembly. None record having a Chinese background. Last year Elizabeth Lee, who has a Korean background, became leader of the Canberra Liberals, raising the profile of Asian-Australian representation and cultural diversity leadership. A common way of framing the increasing role of Chinese Australians as elected representatives is to see it as an expression of multiculturalism and the increase of Asian Australians in representative government. Jieh-Yung Lo, director of the Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership at the Australian National University, sees the significance of Lee’s election as showing that ‘Asian Australians can also be the leaders of our nation, willing to set the agenda…’ In terms of civil society, Canberra’s honorary ambassador Sam Wong AM 黃樹樑 is best known for developing the city’s multicultural festival.

New South Wales

The Parliament of New South Wales has two chambers, the Legislative Assembly with 93 members and the Legislative Council with 42. The table below shows members with a Chinese background.

Name	Party / comment	Chamber	Background	Term of office
Wesley Joseph Fang	Nationals, Chinese-Australian member of his party in the NSW Parliament.	Council	Born in Australia, Australian and Singapore-Chinese background.	9 August 2017-current.
Dr Geoffrey Lee	Liberal, Minister for Corrections.	Assembly	Born in Australia, Australian, of Southern-Chinese background.	26 Mar 2011-current.
Jenny Leong	Greens	Assembly	Australian-born Chinese.	28 Mar 2015- current.
Jason Yat-Sen Li, 李逸仙.	Labor	Assembly	Born in Australia to parents from Hong Kong.	12 Feb 2022- current.
Helen Wai-Har Sham-Ho OAM, 何沈慧霞.	Liberal, later Independent.	Council	Born in Hong Kong. First Chinese-born Parliamentarian.	19 Mar 1988 - 28 Feb 2003.
Henry Shiu-Lung Tsang OAM, 曾筱龙.	Labor	Council	Born in Jiangxi.	27 March 1999-3 December 2009.
Ernest Wong, 王國忠.	Unity Party, then Labor	Council	Born in Hong Kong.	23 May 2013-01 Mar 2019.
Dr Peter Wong AM, 黃肇強.	Liberal, then founder of Unity Party.	Council	Born in China.	27 Mar 1999-23 Mar 2007.

 

Helen Sham was the first Australian Chinese to win a seat in the Legislative Council of New South Wales in 1988. Jason Li was the only person of Chinese ancestry to be elected to the 1998 Australian Constitutional Convention, though not the only one to stand. He ran as a candidate for ‘A Multi-Cultural Voice’ which supported Australia becoming a republic. 

 

Northern Territory

The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is made up of 25 elected members and has one chamber.

Name	Party	Background	Term of office
John Leonard ‘Jack’ Ah Kit	Labor, several ministerial appointments including the first indigenous minister from 1995 to 2005.	Born in the Northern Territory. Aboriginal and Chinese descent. His grandfather migrated from Guangdong.	7 October 1995 – 16 June 2005.
Ngaree Jane Ah Kit	Labor, several ministerial appointments including multicultural affairs.	Born in the Northern Territory. Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Chinese descent, and daughter of Jack Ah Kit.	27 August 2016–current.
Richard Soon Huat Lim	Deputy Leader of the Country Liberal Party.	Born in Malaysia.	4 June 1994 – 9 July 2007.

 

          Queensland

The Queensland parliament consists of one chamber, the Legislative Assembly which consists of 93 Members.

Name	Party	Background	Term of office
Michael Choi Wai-Man, OAM	Labor	Born in Hong Kong.	17 Feb 2001-23 Mar 2012

 

South Australia

The Parliament of South Australia consists of the 47-seat House of Assembly and the 22-seat Legislative Council. Only one person with a Chinese background has been identified.

Name	Party	Chamber	Background	Term of office
Jing-Shyuan Lee	Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary Multicultural Affairs, Trade and Investment and Small Business.	Council	Born in Malaysia.	20 March 2010-current.

 

Tasmania

The Tasmanian Parliament consists of the 25-seat House of Assembly and the 15-seat Legislative Council. No members in the current or past Parliaments can be identified as having Chinese ancestry.

 

Victoria

The Victorian Parliament consists of the 88-seat House of Assembly and the 39-seat Legislative Council.

Name	Party	Chamber	Background	Term of office
Hong Lim, 林美豐	Labor	Assembly	Born in Cambodia of Chinese and Cambodian background.	30 March 1996-18 December 2018.
Harriet Shing	Labor. Minister for Equality, Regional Development and Water.	Council	Born in Australia.First Victorian minister with a Chinese background.	2014 – current.

 

Western Australia

There are 36 members of the Legislative Council in Western Australia drawn from six electoral regions across the State. There are 59 members of the Legislative Assembly drawn from 59 electoral districts across the State.

Name	Party	Chamber	Background	Term of office
Helen Hong Hui Bullock	Labor	Council	Born in Nanjing.	22 May 2009-21 May 2013.
Pierre Yang Shuai, 杨帅	Labor	Council	Born in Harbin.	11 March 2017- current.

 

 

Commonwealth or National Government

Of the 76 senators in the Australian Parliament, only one current member has a Chinese background; the current Foreign Minister. The House of Representatives has 151 members. In 1972, none identified as having a Chinese background, compared to four in the current Parliament.

 

Name	Party	Chamber	Background	Term of office
Irina Dunn	Nuclear Disarmament Party	Senate	Macanese Chinese/European. Born in Shanghai.	21 July 1988 - 30 June 1990.
Bill O'Chee	National	Senate	Chinese father, Irish-Australian mother. Born in Australia.	8 May 1990 - 30 June 1999.
Tchen Tsebin, 陈之彬	Liberal	Senate	Born in Chongqing.	1 July 1999 - 30 June 2005.
Michael Johnson	Liberal	House	Chinese/British. Born in Hong Kong.	10 November 2001 - 21 August 2010.
Penny Wong, 黄英贤	Labour, Foreign Minister	Senate	Chinese/British. Born in Malaysia.	1 July 2002 – current.
Gai Brodtmann	Labour	House	Born in Australia. Chinese, German, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.	21 August 2010 - 11 April 2019.
Ian Goodenough	Liberal	House	Born in Singapore. English, Portuguese, and Malaysian Chinese ancestry.	7 September 2013 – current.
Dio Wang Zhenya, 王振亚	Palmer United Party	Senate	Born in Nanjing.	1 July 2014 - 2 July 2016.
Gladys Liu Sim-ngor, 廖嬋娥	Liberal	House	Born in Hong Kong.	18 May 2019 - 21 May 2022.
Sam Lim Bon Cheng, 林文清	Labor	House	Born in Malaysia.	21 May 2022 – current.
Sally Sitou, 陳莎莉	Labor	House	Born in Australia. Parents migrated from Laos.	21 May 2022 – current.

 

Penny Wong, 黄英贤,
Australia’s new Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Courtesy, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

 

Trends and Conclusion

Recently released statistics highlight Australia’s multicultural nature. The top five countries that migrants come from in order are; England, India, New Zealand and China with the Philippines and Vietnam nearly the same. These figures do not show the ethnicity of the total population but estimates are that about 2 million Australians have some Chinese ancestry.

Some television commentary on election night in May 2022 suggested that Chinese Australian votes were critical in shifting some seats to Labor. However, Professor John Fitzgerald advised me that there is ‘very little real data informing commentary on the role of people of Chinese background in the election. On my reckoning, less than 15% of Australia’s 1.4 million Chinese residents are voters born in the PRC - around 200,000 in total. This is way below the general voter (and Chinese-Australian voter) participation rate because many PRC-born residents have opted to … retain their PRC citizenship. This means they are ineligible to vote. It follows that there's no direct correlation between Chinese community polling … and actual voting behaviour.’

Dr Kuo Mei-fen from Macquarie University believes that Chinese Australian voters were chiefly moved to vote for Labor this time for the same reasons that motivated other Australian voters - they could see through former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his policies and they acknowledged that Labor had changed some of its own this time around. Dr Kuo explained that voters from the Chinese community were looking forward to changing the government and Australia via the democratic system just like other voters. ‘The policies related to the standard of living were the main concern’, she said. This perspective is consistent with findings from a study which concluded that there were four policy areas that predict a higher probability of a voter switching from the Coalition: dealing with global climate change; improving disaster relief; improving the way the political system works in Australia, and addressing issues around race. In other words, Chinese Australians who changed from supporting Liberal to Labour did so for reasons similar to those which motivated other Australians.

Through the last fifty years, there has been a gradual but definite increase in the participation of Chinese-Australian voters in the Australian political system as candidates. This trend should be seen in the wider context of the development of Australia as a multicultural society, a shift which has been as significant as the establishment of diplomatic relations with China by the Whitlam Government of 1972. A significant number of Chinese-Australian politicians would probably agree with the remark of Pierre Shuai Yang who, in his inaugural speech, said: ‘I have the greatest admiration and deepest respect for Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, who were instrumental in the establishment of multiculturalism in Australia.’ In my view, the majority of Australians are happy with both trends.

In June 2022, Penny Wong, the new Minister for Foreign Affairs visited East Malaysia. In her remarks, she summarised her approach to foreign affairs and pointed to the reason for the increasing participation in elected office by Chinese Australians: ‘We are a multicultural and diverse nation. And I hope in part my story can contribute to reminding people in this region and throughout the world that Australia is a modern, diverse multicultural society which is keen to continue engaging with the region.’ Wong’s story encapsulates the success of multiculturalism and her example will encourage Chinese Australians, and more broadly Asian Australians and women, to see political office as an option to which they can aspire.

Directly relevant to the diplomatic relationship between China and Australia, Penny Wong also met with China’s State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi 王毅, at the conclusion of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bali in 2022. Relations have had some tension in recent years, but this meeting hopefully marks the start of a return to stability. In Wong’s view; ‘Australia and China have gained much through the strength of our economic and people-to-people ties.’ Those ties blossomed following the Paris communiqué of 1972 and hopefully will continue to do so in the next half-century.

Support for multiculturalism as the key to success for a harmonious society was put by respected paediatrician Dr John Yu 余森美 AC. On 22 June 2022 he delivered the inaugural Wang Gungwu Lecture (named after Professor Wang Gungwu 王赓武) in Sydney on what being Chinese Australian meant to him. He concluded; ‘Australia’s embrace of cultural diversity has been a great success and something we must all value and protect. At its core is a recognition of difference as something that should be valued as a strength.’

The aim here has been to outline the increased involvement of Chinese Australians in elected political office. This has steadily increased over the last 50 years but seems poised to increase further along with other underrepresented sections of Australian society as Australia meets the vision of the Whitlam Government of 1972 to have closer ties with China and build a harmonious multicultural society.

 

Further Reading

1. Sun Wanning, John Fitzgerald and Jia Gao, ‘From Multicultural Ethnic Migrants to the New Players of China’s Public Diplomacy: The Chinese in Australia.’ In Bernard Wong and Chee-Beng Tan, eds., China’s Rise and the Chinese Overseas (London: Routledge, 2017), 55-74.

2. An early book with a wide scope is Eric Rolls, Sojourners: The Epic Story of China's Centuries-Old Relationship with Australia: Flowers and the Wide Sea (University of Queensland Press, 1992). Of the many more recent works, two of rigorous scholarship are; Mei-fen Kuo, Newspapers and the Formation of Chinese-Australian Identity, 1892–1912 (Monash University Publishing, 2013) and John Fitzgerald, Big White Lie: Chinese Australians in White Australia (UNSW Press, 2007).

 Vale Dr Henry Fong Yun-Wah (1924-2022)

One of the most interesting people I met during my employment was Dr Fong Yun-Wah 方潤華. I recently learned that he passed away earlier this year. 

He was always interested in events and the people around him. When he heard that I was about to have a major operation in early 2004, he advised me to make sure it took place before the Chinese New Year to ensure that it was successful. The six-hour operation took place the day before Chinese New Year - and the outcome was the best that could be expected.

Fong’s family was from Dongguan in Guangdong Province and he moved to Hong Kong with his father at about the age of five after his mother’s death. After much hard work, he became Chairman of the Hip Shing Hong Group of Companies, the Fong Shu Fook Tong Foundation and the Fong Yun Wah Foundation.

His schooling was interrupted by the Sino-Japanese war which explained his commitment to helping to realise the potential of others through education. Continuing his father’s philanthropic tradition, he established dozens of schools in Mainland China many in remote regions. Sponsorships from his family's Foundations were also directed to all tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, many on the Mainland and several internationally. 

Dr Fong received so many Honorary Doctorates and Citizenships from around the world, that the term 'global citizen' was ideal for him. Fittingly, one of his donations established the ‘Henry Fong Award for Global Citizenship and Peace’ which is managed by the International Network of Universities. Three of his many awards are worth highlighting for their diversity; an MBE, and the Silver Bauhinia Medal of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. But perhaps his most interesting recognition was having an asteroid named the 'Fong Yun Wah Star'. A lofty accolade indeed!

Dr Fong will be remembered well for the ongoing benefits of his many philanthropic works directed at education, health and the environment. I imagine he would have been most proud that his family remain committed to his high ideals.

Henry Fong Award for Global Citizenship and Peace

One of the outcomes of interactions with Dr Fong was the creation of the Henry Fong Award for Global Citizenship and Peace. Each year, the ongoing Award recognises an outstanding student within the International Network of Universities who exemplifies commitment to the concept of global citizenship. While the composition of the Network itself has changed since its inception, one of the initial participant institutions remains Hiroshima University 

Thesis on the life of Alonzo Marion Poe submitted

After a gap in postings, this is a short item to say "thank you" to those who have provided support and encouragement in various ways in my M. Phil. project on the life of Alonzo Marion Poe.

The greatest thanks go to my supervisor Dr Benjamin Mountford and co-supervisor Professor Noah Riseman for making my ‘apprenticeship’ enjoyable. 

On St Patricks Day last week, I submitted the thesis to the Australian Catholic University, here in Melbourne, Australia, where I've been enrolled at the St Patrick's Campus in Melbourne. 

COVID scuttled ideas about visiting some of the places where Poe lived (Bellingham and Olympia in Washington State and Napa in California) - perhaps another time. We had visited Victoria (on Vancouver Island, British Columbia), Seattle and San Fransisco previously and not only enjoyed them but did pick up some of the remaining 19th Century vibes.

After the thesis is examined, I'd like to publish the results of the study on relevant platforms. I'll let you know what happens with this (and other persons of interest including other 'Poe boys') as the new septennial begins.

Update June 2022

I'm pleased to report that the thesis was passed without the need for corrections and has now been uploaded to the University's library. I'm now working on a book proposal based on the thesis. The next step is a graduation ceremony.

Update October 2022

Receiving my testamur from ACU Pro-Chancellor Virginia Bourke on 14 October.

Redundant reminisces: the ghost of employment past

 

Writing about family history has helped sort out many mysteries, tested my memory and forced reconsideration of not-quite forgotten events. The writing forces the thinking to a conclusion. That light also slays ‘ghosts’ and hauntings evaporate. Perhaps it can work on my own history.

The ‘ghost of employment past’ followed me for six years. I dreamt of nonspecific offices, meetings and processes: there’s unfinished business and uncompleted projects. With time, disappointments have less hold but some demons of despair and hallucinations of reconciliation hovered.

At the point where my employment ended, my mind was full of administrivia and organisational history. That noise washed away with the winter rains. 

Some memories of meaningful results and constructive engagement remain unassailed in a happy compartment with occasional suggestions that my work was woven into the lives of others for a greater good.

My early career was fortunate though at some cost to my education, but as a choice of necessity, it is free from regret. I wished to do something useful and build securely. Volunteer work provided recommendations and employment which offered the opportunity for service to a developing institution. There was no training program but to read the rules and engage with ‘the elders’. These people, some ex-military others from large corporations and several with international experience, were open-hearted mentors. Issues were discussed frankly and opinions expected, sought and considered. Decisions were final and loyalty built naturally from this genuine engagement. I was fortunate to have started my career as they were ending theirs.

Of course, there were mistakes and misunderstandings but persistent zero-sum malice was rare and unadmired. It was often said and widely believed, that ‘our staff are our most important asset’.

In time ’continuing’ employment was offered – and gratefully accepted. The institution had its own superannuation scheme and new employees had the choice of schemes; one more advantageous for those who considered short-term employment and the other more advantageous for those who were interested in permanent employment. Most employees took the first option initially and had the option of changing, once, after 12 months. I followed that course as ‘prudent’ but after a year changed schemes as I considered this would be my permanent place of work. In the late 1970s it was still possible to resign in a huff and find another job, so making a commitment was not what everyone wanted to do.

‘Continuing’ didn’t mean staying in the same position; hopefully, skills and experience would open new challenges. I moved into an area at the heart of the institution with an early mentor. On her retirement, a ‘new broom’ swept enervation through the unit. I sought an escape including an external appointment to a State Government department moving to a regional city. The thoughtful public servant who chaired the selection panel encouraged me to stay where I was. I don’t know what he might have said to my referees, who knew of my anxiety, but within a short space of time, I was offered a role in a newly amalgamated group within the institution. I was grateful for the challenge and the thoughtfulness of those who made it happen. It built skills, broadened perspective and rebuilt confidence. 

After six months I had the opportunity to continue in the new role or ‘return to the centre’, which had changed from ‘gentlemanly’ to more ‘transactional’; reflecting 'the real world.' The area was one in which I had previous experience and where I was able to enjoy a long tenure with supportive supervisors. 

After promotions, I was ready for a new challenge and one was provided in a growing area with a ‘corporate’ reputation. The move allowed a respected older staff member with health problems to move from a more stressful senior position to the one I had vacated. Mutual loyalty was still strong. The new area was about institutional promotion and development; important to viability, diversity and certainly ‘useful’. The positive image of the area was well deserved.

The wider environment was changing however and the institution more broadly did not respond well to a tougher financial environment. The trend to ‘corporatisation’ was probably unrecognisable to corporations. General poor people management and the end of an obligatory retirement age resulted in disengagement and low productivity. Redundancies were inevitable and occurred in waves across the wider ‘industry’ as the income tide receded. Blinded by wishful thinking, I was unaware of the consequential trend that saw the demise of institutional loyalty. Expensive consultants seem to have sourced their fees with the concept that staff were in fact the organisation's largest liability. Voices for better basic day-to-day management and thoughtful training were not persistent enough. More redundancies loomed. At the same time, I was exhausted by a series of significant changes following staff losses within my unit and was obliged, though happy, to reduce an inordinate credit of leave.

I had naively taken the view that the welcomed pressure to reduce my leave would allow me to refresh myself before the final six years of employment. Meanwhile, the redundancy redux ramped up; significant losses were predicted and unproductive though entertaining speculation was rife about what it might mean for particular individuals. I had demonstrated flexibility in times of previous staff crises and the capacity to help in any transition. While acknowledging that ‘no one was safe’. I imagined what a final stretch and reconstruction might look like. At the same time, I was grateful for the opportunity to take part in a training program where I felt amongst ‘my tribe’ building professional depth.

We were to be informed about the outcome of a review of staffing in a mass meeting and understood that after the presentation we should leave the meeting without further discussion to await individual meetings for those whose careers would be impacted. Comparing the charts for the ‘now’ and ‘future’ structure, I had no place. The subsequent meeting confirmed this. My bland acceptance of the situation was a surprise to myself and, I think, to the others at the meeting. As a non-negotiable fait accompli, there was nothing to engage with.

As my emotions had gone, my brain took charge. To preserve the acquired superannuation benefits I would need to find another similar position elsewhere (in an industry where redundancies were rife) or take early retirement. I didn’t know what to believe about myself or, what, until that point had been, ‘my’ institution. My redundant view of mutual loyalty, and self-assessment as making a useful contribution evaporated. Everything looked different. Unexpectedly, forgotten injustices rose from their resting places to taunt me. 

My task was simply to clean up, provide a helpful hand-over and get out of the way before the Ides of March. 

In a busy old office, far from my daytime home for the previous three and a half decades, external advisors guided the transition from employment. I had an interesting chat with the fellow assigned to me. We talked about military history. He provided me with a workbook designed to help me make a detailed assessment of my life to answer the question; ‘What do you want to do now?’ The exercise was helpful personally but gave me no answer to the immediate question. My brain told me to apply for jobs but no one was interested in considering an ‘old bloke’ whose name was so tied to a particular place. I reluctantly declared myself ‘retired’ some six years before I expected to do so.

For anyone who has a choice: don’t just ‘retire’. Have a plan to evolve from one activity to the next; go part-time, develop volunteer networks, travel and learn as you wish, enjoy the freedom (and the frugality) - but also have an optimistic purpose. 

I found two years of part-time volunteer administrative work restored my self-esteem and showed me how to be disinterested without being uninterested. Ironically, employment had interrupted my education and I’m currently enrolled in an M. Phil. at ACU which I hope will produce a lively historical biography of a Washington Territory newspaperman. The ghost of employment past can now rest and hopefully will not try to sneak through fissures in the cosmos.

There is no ghost of employment present; rather a spirit of inquisitiveness. Any future spirit will be friendly and, like history, bring discovery of an unknown country.

'I lift up my eyes to the mountains…'

I was a CEB and a server at St Silas South Seaford in the ‘60s!

One October day in 1967 I was waiting at the bus stop just outside the Frankston Train Station. A dignified gentleman approached me from the Station. He was in his fifties and lugging a large suitcase. Although I had never met him, I knew who he was. His ‘dog collar’ identified him as Anglican bishop Felix Arnott. 

The following Sunday I was to be confined by him. At the final catechism class in preparation for the event, the Vicar of St Paul’s in Frankston, Rev. A. G. Church had told the group; ‘I want you to tell me what colour his eyes are’.

Arnott asked me: ‘When does your bus come?’ I told him it was some time yet. He then asked me to look after his suitcase while he went across the road to the Post Office. I was happy to undertake the task and he quickly made his way across the road – being sure to cross at the pedestrian crossing. (The Station and bus stop were much the same when Gregory Peck visited in 1959.) I saw Bishop Arnott again that Sunday and double-checked his eye colour.

My confirmation certificate,
though my middle name is not as 'given'.

I was the youngest catechist in the small group which had met weekly at Mrs Palmer’s home on Fortescue Avenue, Seaford, and two years before had been the oldest baptism at St Paul’s for the year. I didn’t attend St Paul’s regularly as we lived in Seaford, five miles north of Frankston. I attended St Silas Church, also on Fortescue Avenue, which was a 'daughter' church of St Paul's. The services were initially held in a renovated garage at Norman Rae's home. The panelling was Masonite and the group of about 40 filled the room. Norman and Margaret Rae were the driving forces of the fledgeling congregation; he was Honorary Secretary and she was President of the Ladies Guild. The Church was presumably named in recognition that the original Silas supported the work of Paul the Apostle.

I had decided to attend after becoming a CEB - a member of the Church of England Boy’s Society. The CEBS handbook introduced me to several religious concepts and emphasised the benefits of attending a church service. All this was new to me. I had joined the CEBS in part because a hospital visit the previous year had alerted me to the world of religion. I considered joining the scouts but settled on the CEBS because it was different, the uniform was blue - and there were some scouts I didn’t like. Meetings were held in the Seaford Hall - once a picture theatre and now replaced with grass in front of the community centre. 

The congregation had outgrown the garage which was uncomfortable in the summer. And so, a proper church hall was built. It was designed in 1964 by leading ecclesiastical architect Blyth Johnson (1928-2018). The foundation stone was laid on 15 November 1964 by the Right Reverend Geoffrey Tremayne Sambell (1914-1980). Norman and Margaret drove the project and the building was dedicated - probably - on 1 March 1966. Services were held every Sunday with a variety of celebrants including Albert Church. The others who I remember are; Rev. Strickland, Rev. Bruce Clark who was chaplain at the Peninsular Boys School (now Peninsular Grammar) and lay-preacher Keith Stanley (who was later ordained and served in the Ballarat Diocese).

The inside cover of Mum's hymn book.

The choir was led by a stentorian-voiced Welshman, Sid Jones, who was also a regular lay preacher from St Paul’s. My mother was one of several people to play the piano for practice and services. I sang soprano and was expecting to become a tenor. The choir was large though only had one bass voice – Norman Rae – whose resonating murmur added a comfortable musical balance and a familiar consistency to practice and services. 

I remember some of the congregation – Hosking, Gooding, Palmer, Cole, Nicholls (who we often visited after services) and a Yorkshire woman who wore a fur coat and a purple felt-hat and spoke to my mother in French and Hindi. Norman Rae made a big impression on everyone; he was regularly farewelled to return to the Overflow in winter but was always back in the autumn. There were many others including a large Sunday School group supported by Greg Davies and ‘postie’ Arthur Turner - who had moderate success teaching me to ride a bicycle. 

For several years the church held an annual picnic at Devilbend Reservoir, which my mother thought amusing. I recall one fund-raising event in the Hall; a ‘housie-housie’ evening. This was my first such event and, as a boy, I couldn’t work out how playing a game could raise money. The name was a mouthful - especially when you had to call it out in order to win a round. Mum, who knew a bit about Presbyterian things, explained that it was usually called ‘bingo’. I thought this was a much better word to call out than what seemed to be the Anglican custom. I asked one of the organisers why he called it ‘housie-housie’ instead of ‘bingo’. His answer was; ‘Well, bingo is illegal’. This was too subtle for me but Mum smiled knowingly. This was significant as she usually didn’t do subtle.

Albert Church presented me with an Altar Book,
inscribing it in the vestry room at St Silas.

By 1970 we had left Seaford and lost contact with the group, though I continued as a server at St James the Less in Mount Eliza. In 1974 I met Norman who was a visitor to Manyung Gallery in Mount Eliza where I worked. He remembered me and we had a good chat. After that, I moved further away but was disappointed to hear that after Norman’s death in 1977 and Albert Church's tenure ended in 1984, the building was demolished and replaced with units. 

The building itself was, unfortunately, uninteresting from the outside, with utility rooms facing the unfinished crushed-rock car park, so it is unsurprising that no photographs seem to have been taken. Inside, however, it was bright with the floor and sanctuary furniture of light-coloured Australian hardwood brightened further with the morning sun through yellow, blue and un-coloured opaque glass triangles. The walls were mid-grey concrete bricks and the bench seating was made of thin black piping with crimson artificial leather. 

A plan showing the main features of the building.
Public Building Files, Victorian Pubic Records Office. 

Now, some five decades later, the St Silas stories should be told – including the many parts I don’t yet know about. It seems little has survived and of course the original organisers are no longer with us. Perhaps you have a story, a photo or a memory that adds to the picture.

Please let me know. 

Commonwealth Youth Sunday, St Silas, South Seaford, 9 June 1968.
I'm not in 'uniform', standing next to local MP Phillip Lynch.
Does anyone have a copy of the program?

Memory assistance

Thanks to Malcolm Boag, Ken Nicholls and Ian Stanley for much-needed memory prompts. They allowed me to remove several variations of 'whose name I forget' in the first draft. Of course, many gaps remain... 

Unfortunately, its gold letters have faded.
I have a nice photo of a rectangular piece of grey granite.

The WAAAF’s 80th birthday and Joan’s coming of age

An earlier post celebrated Joan’s 100th. March 2021 also marks 100 years of the Royal Australian Air Force and the 80th anniversary of the creation of the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF). The WAAAF was created following lobbying by women, who wished to serve more directly in the war effort, and by the Chief of the Air Staff, who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service overseas. The WAAAF was the first and largest of the wartime Australian women's services and also forced the issue of equal pay for women.

Sergeant Joan Marsh

Joan joined the WAAAF in February 1942, soon after her 21st birthday, and was one of the first twenty-three RADAR operators to be trained in Richmond, New South Wales, in June that year, and one of the first eight to ‘man’ a RADAR unit in Kiama, NSW.

The following poem celebrates the life-long bonds of this group of women.

Radar Returns, Volume 5, No 1. 1991.

Their last big reunion in March 1991.
Joan is in the centre in the black jacket with her arm around the poet.