Bob

South Australians are often surprised to discover the range of local people who have contributed to many areas of society at a local, national and international level. These images are from an exhibition of hand coloured lino prints containing a personal and idiosyncratic selection of some of these people.

How could I fail to include our most popular PM of all time? Born in Bordertown. 75% approval rating? Incredible. I wonder how much of that is due to his Guinness world record for drinking a yard of beer in eleven seconds (it’s since been more than halved – please don’t try this at home) although he didn’t touch a drop whilst in power. Doesn’t really matter. He was a good leader as well as a good bloke. He lost me for a while over the Hazel/Blanche thing, but I came round again. He’s only the second politician I’ve shed a tear over when they died – and I’m not a cryer. (Who else? Gough of course.) Bob was known to shed a tear on occasion as well.

The icons in the border reference the ways his government changed Australia – floating the Australian Dollar, opening the Australian economy to global competition, launching Medicare, striking the Prices and Incomes Accord with unions, giving the Commonwealth power over World Heritage sites, saving the Franklin, banning uranium mining at Jabiluka, outlawing gender discrimination in the workplace, proclaiming Advance Australia Fair as the national anthem and green and gold as the national colours – as well as his leadership of the ACTU, his Rhodes scholarship and the America’s Cup victory which prompted one of his most well-known quotes, ‘Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum.’