ACCEPTANCE OF THE SIR HUBERT MURRAY PAPERS
BY THE PRIME MINISTER, MR JOHN GORTON, ON
BEHALF OF THE INATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA
Canberra, A. C. T._ 6 DECEMEF 1968
Speech by the Prime Minister, Mr John Gorton
Sir Grenfell, Mrs Pinney, Dr West and Members of the National Library
Council This seems to be fundamentally, at any rate ostensibly, a
strictly family occasion, as it were, and I feel very privileged indeed to be
able to share in it and to accept on behalf of the Council these historical
letters which you have so generously donated.
It is appropriate, I think, that on such a day you, Sir, as the
eminent biographer of Sir Hubert Murray should be with us, and perhaps
even more appropriate that you should be with us on this occasion in this
place as the son-in-law of Harold White who adds to the flavour of this
gathering. Mr Harold White's acquisitive instincts, of course, are quite
well known, as far as the Library is concerned, but I am not sure whether
in this case he was the chief hunter after the letters which are before us or
whether indeed they were freely offered, as I believe they were, by Mrs
Pinney and by Dr West.
Sir, you have described Sir Hubert Murray as a great pro-consul
as indeed he was a great colonialist, It is not a word which tends to be
in fashion nowadays, to be a colonialist, but I think that looking back on the
times of which we are speaking, it has to be accepted that the colonial rule
which Sir Hubert carried out was of immense benefit to Papua at that time
and that it would have been impossible for that country to have developed to
the state where colonialism is no longer acceptable had it not been for the
guidance of this man.
He was a man of many parts. We hear cif him first or I hear
of him first when he was at school, from which, if I am not inr"' rrectly
informed, he was ejected for taking a punch at one of his masters a thing
for which I envy him very much because it was something I always wanted to
do when I was at school. I can only think that the master concerned was a very
lucky man indeed that he was missed because I gather that Sir Hubert went on
to become a heavyweight champion and able to ta~ ke on any iiumber of masters
should he so have wished.
He had, of course, a very distinguished and interesting career
in the field during the Boer War, and you have indicated to me that there were
some most interesting letters here letters from the field written at that time.
Hie also took over the running of Papua, the bringing of Papua towards its full
stature at a time of enormous challenge. So he was a man who contribued
greatly to that country and we must hope and I believe by contributing to
that country gave the opportunity for those further contributions which will be
a contribution to Australia iin the years ahead and the relations between Australia
and Papua. 2 J
-2-
You mentioned, Sir, a time when he died in Samarai and
when there was a mourning festival held, and I would like to quote in
part from what was said at that time. This is a quote of what was said
by a village councillor on this occa3ion
" But who is like him in Papua? There is none. There will
never be one like him. He came among us and saw our lives.
Sometimes when he was younger, he hunted and fished with us.
He knew us in all our ways. Sometimes when his work was done,
Ihe met us on the roads as we came home from our gardens and he
greeted us. Now we have lost him, for he is dead. We shall not
know his friendly ways He was the best of men; our
children and their children will talk of him. He promised us all
' I will not leave you. I will die in Papua' His words were the words
of a true man for his body lies in our ground.
Now the record of the work he did lies in the National
Library of Australia. With that history and with that feeling among the
people for what he did when he was alive, may I renew the protestations
of the gratitude we feel that these records of his work lie in the national
archives for all time.
Thank you, Mrs Pinney