Economy
NATION: Gough Whitlam’s memorial left lingering sadness, despite the cheers and soaring oratory
Even at a national event, crowds can be brutal: Gillard was cheered, Rudd received in silence. But the question that remained was: what more could Whitlam have done, had he only had the time?
In the end, despite the oratory and anthems in Sydney’s immense town hall, this was a sad occasion. Gough Whitlam lived forever but his time in power was so short. The more speakers eulogised his achievements, the more pressing the question: what might he have done if he had been allowed more time?
Even on a great state occasion, crowds can be brutal. Julia Gillard was given an immense ovation. They stood for her, shouting, whistling and stamping. She was kissed. Flowers were pressed into her hands. Kevin Rudd walked the aisle in stony silence. The Labor faithful sat as if stuck to their seats.
Whitlam chose the music. That sublime pot boiler None Shall Sleep played softly as ancient faces gathered in front of the stage. Old governors-general and old prime ministers sat cheek by jowl aware, no doubt, that nothing on this heroic scale was likely when they departed.
Though Whitlam spent years finessing details of this event, the Sydney Town Hall was not the site he wanted. “His first choice was to have a funeral pyre in the Senate,” claimed Kerry O’Brien, the ABC television journalist who once served on Whitlam’s staff. “He rather liked the idea of taking the Senate with him.”
His old nemesis Malcolm Fraser was there. The two men had long reconciled. He was received politely. So was Tony Abbott. None of the speakers said so directly, they didn’t have to, but in mourning Whitlam they were also mourning that power was back in the hands of his old opponents, the men and women who had done so little for so long.
Two men brought Whitlam most alive at the microphone: his old speechwriter and collaborator Graham Freudenberg, and his old friend and confidante Senator John Faulkner. Faulkner even dropped into The Voice as he told Gough jokes. But in his own voice Faulkner declared: “Whitlam made the Labor party electable. More importantly, he made the Labor party worth electing.”
But Noel Pearson raised the roof. He is beyond contest the greatest Lutheran preacher in the country. He barely mentioned Whitlam’s name as if he were honouring the dead in his own people’s way. He called him: “This old man.” He said: “This old man was one of those rare people who never suffered discrimination but understood the importance of protection against its malice.”
Pearson was not the only the only speaker to acknowledge Whitlam’s great mistakes. But to a roar of applause he declared the government of 1972 to 1975: “The textbook case of reform trumping management.”
• Watch Noel Pearson’s standout speech on YouTube, Guardian HERE
Watch Cate Blanchett on YouTube:
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