Always one step further
Ross Walker
$34.99
La Trobe University Press
Political junkies will relish this biography of the Liberal Party Prime Minister who failed to return one day from a swim off Mornington Peninsula.
Readers will enjoy the insight into a different era, when an urbane Liberal Party leader was passionate about the arts, was determined to work with union leaders, and was open to winding back restrictive immigration laws. A far cry to today’s rabble of climate- change denialists, evangelical zealots and Trump-lite nutters.
The book opens with a description of the future Prime Minister’s passion for the sea; a passion that would eventually take his life. Throughout the story, Harold Holt returns to the solace of ocean swimming, ending with his final, fatal dip.
The author does not shy away from less savoury parts of Mr Holt’s life, including his frequent infidelity and his decision to commit more Australian troops to the disaster unfolding in Vietnam.
The Public Service Association of NSW and Community and Public Sector Union (SPSF Group) NSW Branch acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work and the places in which we live. We pay respect to Ancestors and Elders, past, present and future. We recognise the unique cultural and spiritual relationship and celebrate the contributions of first nations peoples to Australia.
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