SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, MR E. G. WHITLAM, M. P.
AT THE OPENING OF BLAKENEY LODGE, TUMUT, 26 JULY 1975
IT GIVES ME VERY GREAT PLEASURE TO RETURN TO
TUMUT WITH MY WIFE TO SHARE JN THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF
BLAKENEY LODGE. WE HAVE BEEN HAPPY TO BE PRESENT AT
THE OPENING OF A NUMBER OF OLD PEOPLE'S HOMES IN NEW
SSOUTH WALES IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS. IN FACT, THIS IS
OUR THIRD IN JUST TWO MONTHS ST. BEDE'S AT HURSTVILLE
WITH BISHOP CREMIN, OZANAM VILLA IN LISMORE WITH
O BISHOP SATTERTHWAITE AND NOW THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, AND
THE EASIEST TO PRONOUNCE, BLAKENEY LODGE, TUMUT, WITH
ARCHBISHOP CAHILL,
THE LAST TIME ARCHBISHOP CAHILL AND I SHARED
SUCH AN OCCASION WAS ON ST. VALENTINE'S DAY LAST YEAR
SWHEN OZANAM HOUSE IN CANBERRA WAS OPENED, I BELIEVE IT'
IS A TRIBUTE TO HIS AWARENESS OF THE NEED FOR SUCH
ACCOMMODATION THAT TWO SUCH HOSTELS HAVE BEEN BUILT
IN HIS DIOCESE IN LESS THAN 18 MONTHS. I REALIZE,
OF COURSE, THAT THE PARISH PRIEST OF TUMUT, FATHER TIERNAN,
HAS HAD MORE THAN A LITTLE TO DO WITH GETTING BLAKENEY
LODGE LITERALLY OFF THE GROUND: PARISH PRIESTS ARE EXPECTED
TO DEVELOP SUCH TALENTS EARLY IN THEIR CAREERS, BUT
FATHER TIERNAN WAS FOLLOWING IN ILLUSTRIOUS FOOTSTEPS,
NONE OTHER THAN THOSE OF THE LATE MONSIGNOR BLAKENEY
AFTER WHOM THE LODGE WAS NAMED,
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I MUST SAY 7-AT, IN ITS SHORTENED FORM, THE LODGE, IT BEARS
A REMARKABLE RESEMBLANCE TO MY OWN ADDRESS IN CANBERRA,
AND IT'S SOBERING TO THINK THAT THAT ADDRESS COULD SO EASILY
HAVE BEEN THE LODGE, TUMUT, HAD THAT FATEFUL VOTE ON
THE SITING OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL GONE DIFFERENTLY BACK
IN 1908. SiJT TO RETURN TO MONSIGNOR BLAKENEY WHO WAS BORN
IN TUMUT A YEAR BEFORE THAT VOTE WAS TAKEN, WHICH EXEMPTS HIM
FROM ALL BLAME IT WAS HE WHO REALISED THE NEED FOR
ACCOMMODATION HERE IN HIS HOME TOWN, AND APPROACHED HIS
ARCHBISHOP ON THE MATTER, OFFERING AT THE SAME TIME TO PROVIDE
LAND NEXT TO HIS CHURCH, FREE OF CHARGE IN CASE HIS
LoRDs-iTP REQUIRED ANY ADDITIONAL ENCOURAGEMENT,
T*-E .3T iS HISTORY, BUT VERY MUCH A COMMUNITY
HISTORY, SINCE = Cœ CTS LIKE THIS, NATURALLY AND PROPERLY,
BECOME THE CWCE= CN THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, A CONCERN THAT
THE USTRAL :-EMENT IS ANXIOUS TO SEE MAINTAINED.
IT DOES NO: AS OUR OPPONENTS ASSERT, THAT BECAUSE
WE PROVIDE FOORS SOCIAL WELFARE ACTIVITIES LIKE HOUSING
FOR THE AGED. HAT THEREFORE WE SEEK CONTROL OF SUCH
PROGRAMS. IoC. hING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. IT IS
IN FACT AN M= CRTANT ELEMENT IN ALL THE SOCIAL AND
COMMUNITY PRCGRAMS OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT THAT LOCAL
COMMUNITY AWARENESS AND INVOLVEMENT SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED,
PARTICULARLY IN THOSE PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO HELP PEOPLE. o,/ 3
I E. LIEVE THAT ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN CATHOLIC CARE
FOR THE AGED, WHO HAVE HAD THE OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY IN
NEW SOUTH WALES FOR CO-OPERATING WITH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS IN THE FIELD OF HOUSING FOR THE AGED, WOULD
TESTIFY TO THIS,
, EE IN TUMUT, FOR INSTANCE, FOLLOWING THE
FORMATION C' A ANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, A PUBLIC MEETING WAS
CALLED SO THAT ANYONE IN TUMUT WHO WANTED TO GET INVOLVED
IN THE BLAKENEY LODGE PROJECT COULD DO JUST THAT. AND THAT
HIGH LEVEL OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT WILL CONTINUE BECAUSE
ITS NOT ALL OVER YET. SURE, MY GOVERNMENT HAS GLADLY
PROVIDED $ 312,000 FOR BLAKENEY LODGE UNDER THE AGED PERSONS
5osE-3s ACT E ICREASED THE SUBSIDY FROM $ 2 TO $ 1
UP T-S FOC LATE LAST YEAR BUT THE PEOPLE OF TUMUT
HAVE RAISED 3 , GOO THROUGH SHEER HARDWORK AND GOODWILL.
ALL T-E OLD SE=-: E =? SANISATIONS, APEX, ROTARY, LIONS,
AND NE ONES, : C '-AY INDIVIDUALS HAVE MADE IT THEIR
. SU.:-SS TO -E I EVEN NOTICED WEIGHT WATCHERS
COMING TO ON THE FRONT PAGE OF LAST WEEK'S NEWSPAPER,
AND IT IS -ANT THAT THIS LEVEL OF COMMUNITY CARING
SHOULD CONT:_--E LONG AFTER THE BALANCE SHEETS ARE ACCEPTABLE
TO FATHER T: E. AN AND BISHOP CAHILL, I KNOW THEY WILL
AGREE THAT ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT THAT PLACES LIKE
BLAKENEY LGE SHOULD TAKE ROOT IN THE COMMUNITY AND BECOME
ACCEPTED AS ANOTHER COMPONENT OF THE TOTAL LIFE OF THE
COMMUNITY, NOT IN ANY WAY CUT OFF OR REMOTE.
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IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE PEOPLE WHO COME TO LIVE
HERE IN BLAKENEY LODGE SHOULD RECOGNISE THIS TOO, BECAUSE
THAT FACT MAY HELP THEM TO REALISE THAT ALTHOUGH IT
REPRESENTS A NEW BEGINNING FOR THEM, AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES
AND FRIENDS, IT'S REALLY JUST AN EXTENSION OF THE LIFE
THEY HAVE BEEN LEADING, ALBEIT IN NEW SURROUNDINGS, BUT
THOSE SURROUNDINGS ARE SO WELCOMING AND COMFORTABLE THAT THE
O TRANSITION SHOULDN'T BE TOO DIFFICULT.
OBVIOUSLY MOST RESIDENTS WILL BE COMING TO
O BLAKENiEY LODGE FROM AROUND TUMUT, BUT I EXPECT THAT OTHERS
WHO MAY HAVE DRIFTED AWAY OVER THE YEARS WILL HAVE A
YEARNING TO COME BACK, TO COME HOME TO TUMUT AS THEY GET
OLDER AND TIRE OF THE RAT RACE AWAY FROM THE
EXTRAORDINARY BEAUTY OF TUMUT, I HAVE A FEELING THAT MANY
OLD FRIENDSHIPS WILL BE RENEWED HERE, AND THAT MANY PEOPLE
WHO COME HERE iLL L: TERALLY TAKE ON A NEW LEASE OF LIFE
-I T-= IR NEW iDENT COMFORT, THEIR NEW COMFORTABLE
:œ: ENDENCE, I AA LOOKING FORWARD VERY MUCH INDEED TO MEETING
A NUMBER OF THE FIRST RESIDENTS TO BE OF BLAKENEY LODGE,
ALL BORN BEFORE THAT FEDERAL CAPITAL VOTE WAS TAKEN, ALL
BORN BEFORE FEDERATION, FOR THAT MATTER. THERE'S MISS CHRISTINE
McGREGOR AND MR TED CURLL, WHOSE AGES ADD UP TO ABOUT 168
I CAN'T BE MORE SPECIFIC WITHOUT BEING ACCUSED OF LACKING
IN GALLANTRY AND WHO WERE EACH CONNECTED WITH OLD
PIONEERING FAMILIES. AND THERE IS MRS ELSIE WILLIAMS WHO, BY
VIRTUE OF HER LONG SERVICE, IS DOUBTLESS VERY MUCH MORE
FAMILIAR WITH THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S RESIDENCE, YARRALUMLA, THAN I AM.
e.
I EXPECT YOU ALL KNOW MY FASCINATION FOR AUSTRALIAN HISTORY. I
AM QUITE SURE THAT A LITTLE LATER ON I WILL LEARN A GREAT
DEAL OF HISTORY THAT HASN'T YET FOUND ITS WAY INTO THE
TEXTBOOKS. I AM ONLY SAD THAT MONSIGNOR BLAKENEY HIMSELF
CAN'T BE WITH US TO SHARE THE REMINISENCES ON THIS GREAT
OCCASION. AS THE TUMUT AND ADELONG TIMES NOTED IN
JANUARY LAST YEAR: " HE WAS A GREAT SON OF TUMUT, A PRODUCT
OF THE LOCAL CONVENT SCHOOL AND THE TOWN AND PROVED A
0 WORTHY SON OF HIS LOCALLY BORN MOTHER AND FATHER, HIS
VERY PRESENCE DIGNIFIED ANY GATHERING AND HIS PERSONALITY
LENT GRACE TO ALL PUBLIC FUNCTIONS HE ATTENDED IN AN
OFFCIAL CAPACITY. -E WON THE ADMIRATION AND RESPECT
OF ALL THOSE WHO SAW HIM GROW FROM BOYHOOD TO THE HIGH
OFFICE OF j'ONSINCR.
IT NG THAT HIS NAME SHOULD BE REMEMBERED
S -EE THE -E LOVED AND THROUGH THE PROJECT THAT
WAS SO DEAR T3 HIS -EART. I HAVE MUCH PLEASURE IN
: ECLARING OPEN BLAKENEY LODGE.