September 26, 2008

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd will be in Gympie in November to help celebrate the centenary of the formation of Australia’s first sustainable Federal Labor government led by Andrew Fisher on November 13, 1908.

Labor Gympie branch secretary John Kirkpatrick, said invitations were about to be sent out and some 300 to 400 guests were expected to attend the function at the pavilion on Saturday, November 15.

Organised by the Wide Bay electoral executive committee, several other notable Labor leaders have been invited, including former Prime Ministers, Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, although at this point they had not indicated their ability to attend.

Mr Kirkpatrick said Queensland Premier Anna Bligh would be invited.

“We have the Gympie High band lined up to play on the night and the Union Choir has also been reserved,” he said. Respected Australian historian and author professor David Day will attend the dinner.

Professor Day spent some time in Gympie researching the life of Andrew Fisher and his completed biography on the man regarded by many as Australia’s greatest nation-builder, is due to be launched by Mr Rudd in Canberra on October 28.

Gympie branch president Dan Stewart considers Fisher a true Labor man who rose up from humble beginnings via education, helping to establish the foundations of the party. “He started work at 10 [years of age] and educated himself at night,” Mr Stewart said. “He’s a Labor leader we are very proud of.” Andrew Fisher, born in Scotland in 1862, migrated to Australia in 1885, eventually settling in Gympie where he worked as an engine driver and was a member of the Amalgamated Miners’ Association, the Gympie Joint Labour committee and the forerunning organisations which formed the Labor Party.

In 1893 he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the seat of Gympie, and after Federation was elected to the Commonwealth Parliament as member for Wide Bay.

In 1908 he became Prime Minister for the first of three terms in that role.

Malcolm Mackerras, a visiting fellow in political science at the Australian Defence Force Academy, selected Fisher as one of Australia’s four great prime ministers. Fisher began construction of the Trans-Australia Railway and of Canberra, established the Royal Australian Navy, numerous social security payments and the Commonwealth Bank.