First published in The Age on February 11, 1966
Resignation by Sir Robert
At a candlelit meeting in Kew last night Sir Robert Menzies announced his retirement from Federal Parliament.
Robert Menzies holds his last press conference as Prime Minister on 20 January, 1966.Credit:Stuart MacGladrie
The announcement that marked the end of a 38-year parliamentary career was made to members of the Kooyong electorate committee.
Later the former Prime Minister told pressmen he hoped to have the resignation in the hands of the Speaker of the House of Representatives by Monday or Tuesday.
It would become operative from the time the Speaker received it.
Because of the power restrictions caused by the State workers’ strike the meeting in the subsidiary hall at Kew Civic Centre was lit by two gas hurricane lamps and two candles.
About 52 men and women of the 56-member committee attended the meeting.
Sir Robert arrived alone in a Commonwealth car 27 minutes after it began at 8 p.m.
After speaking for 15 minutes he drank tea served from thermos flasks with the members.
He said later:
“No electorate has ever supported its member better than this.
“The fact that Kooyong has had four members in 60 years, of which 31 years have been mine, speaks for itself.
Appreciated
“They supported a largely absentee representative. I appreciated this tremendously and told them so.
“You cannot be a Prime Minister for very long unless you have an electorate which puts up with an absentee member.”
Referring to his house in Haverbrack Avenue, Malvern, Sir Robert said: “At the moment we are half in half out. Half the furniture is in, but I don’t know when we will be moving in.”
Sir Robert’s parliamentary career began when he was elected a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (for East Yarra) in 1928.
He resigned from State Parliament to enter Federal Parliament as the member for Kooyong in 1934.
He was Prime Minister from 1939 to 1941 and from 1949 until last January 20.
The secretary of the Kooyong electorate committee (Mr Henry Newland) said it was hoped to hold a preselection convention for candidates to contest the by-election “in the very near future.”
Most Viewed in National
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
