The Ultimate Australasian Hero of Character | Return to Top

The choice wasn't easy. Sir Douglas Mawson, Sir Edmund Hillary, Caroline Chisholm and Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop were on the final short list because they all stand out from a 'stand-out' group. But we had to decide.

The one person who showed most of our 24 character qualities for the longest time and most consistently is without doubt Sir Donald Bradman. When you speak of 'The Don' you can safely include in the one sentence any of these character qualities: Carefulness, Commitment, Courage, Creativity, Determination, Generosity, Honesty, Influence, Loyalty, Passion, Patience, Respect, Self Control, Virtue, Vision and Wisdom.

If Character were our navy then Sir Donald would be our flag ship.

The Heart Character Quality Heroes: Courage, Commitment, Vision, Determination, Passion | Return to Top

Courage: Jean Batten (1909-1982)
Jean Batten, New Zealand’s darling of the air, the Garbo (ie Greta Garbo – a film star of the 30s) of the Air appeared like a shooting star in history and having lit the skies momentarily disappeared into the darkness.

Nevertheless the courage that envigorated her remarkable pioneering flights in a single engine plane from England to Auckland have left a fluorescent trail to inspire for generations to come.

She was determined that she would make a solo flight to Australia.

Instant fame came to her when her third attempt, in May 1934, was not only successful but also smashed Amy Johnson's England-Australia record.

There have not been many Antarctic explorers. Australia’s Sir Douglas Mawson is as noteworthy as most. His story reveals a man who gave his energy and almost his life to explore and study the coldest place on earth.

Sir Douglas Mawson's research has contributed to our knowledge of the world... his life has taught us something about the strength of a man possessing the character quality of determination.

The Humanity Character Quality Heroes:Benevolence, Compassion, Generosity, Respect, Forgiveness, Hospitality | Return to Top

Compassion: Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop (1907-1993)

Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop was a doctor, sportsman, soldier, humanitarian and hero to thousands.

A courageous leader and compassionate doctor Dr. Dunlop often stood between guards and the sick to prevent the patients being shot or bayoneted. He refused to salute disreputable guards who had harmed his patients. He was beaten, tortured and caused to stand all day in the sun. Nothing deterred his defiant courage and singular drive to exercise compassion for his suffering men.

He became, in the words of one of his men ‘a lighthouse of sanity in a universe of madness and suffering’.

• If you are a woman and a lawyer, or if you are a young woman and you want to be a lawyer you can thank Edith Cowan.

• If you are a single mother receiving support from the government, or your own mother was separated from her husband and received support from the government you can thank Edith Cowan.

• If you are a woman and you serve on your church’s council or synod, you can thank Edith Cowan.

• If you have received sound sex education as part of your school curriculum, you can thank Edith Cowan.

• If you attend or once attended a state school for free you can probably thank Edith Cowan.

• If your children attend a day care centre for children of working parents you can thank Edith Cowan.

• Edith Cowan was an amazing person and I stress – AMAZING! She was the first woman member of any Australian Parliament, one of the first woman Justices of the Peace and one of the first women appointed to the bench in the first ever Australian Children’s Court, which she also helped establish.

The process is half way through completion for Mary MacKillop to be canonised by the Catholic Church, i.e. to be declared a saint. Even if you don’t give a fig for sainthood, you’d have acknowledge that being honoured by any large organisation is worthy of some consideration.

I singled out Mary MacKillop for forgiveness and not because she merely let bygones be bygones; she didn’t bury her grief and let time heal. She went out of her way to activate the character quality of forgiveness.

In his writings Father Paul Gardiner says, ‘What she suffered is sometimes astonishing to read …, but more astonishing is the story of her charity and forbearance towards those who were unjust to her. She judged nobody, she blamed nobody, she was never heard to utter a word of criticism or bitterness. She always tried to excuse those who had wronged her, called attention to their good qualities, and reminded the sisters of favours received from them in the past.

The Honesty Character Quality Heroes: Honesty, Virtue, Justice | Return to Top

Honest in little things
As Prime Minister Curtin did not use government cars or chauffers. He travelled on the tram with the ordinary citizens, chatting with them and learning their views.

He paid his own entry fee to football matches. One day when he was discovered out on the general admission mound, the secretary of the club urged him to come in to the members’ area and perhaps meet the players as well. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I’m just here as one of the barrackers.’

His press secretary noted that Curtin told him he was to hold nothing back from journalists and remarked that Curtin had never once told a lie.

The Humour Character Quality Heroes: Joyfulness, Contentment, Patience, Influence | Return to Top

Joyfulness: John Simpson Kirkpatrick (1892 - 1915)

He landed at ANZAC Cove at 5 a.m. on the 25th of April 1915 and was mortally wounded in Shrapnel Gully, near the mouth of Monash Valley, on the 19th of May 1915 at the age of 22.

During the 24 days he spent at ANZAC he operated as a sole unit with his beloved donkey/s and is credited with saving the lives of probably hundreds of men.

When you realise that he knew the extreme danger to which he so constantly exposed himself in his self-imposed errands of mercy you can only marvel at the cheerful way in which he carried out his duties. He brought the wounded safely to the Beach clearing station and when thanked, he smiled and said "Glad to help you".

Yet he managed to achieve something throughout his life that few people would manage to achieve in three lifetimes given the best of circumstances.

Bert was patient. He waited without getting annoyed. He persevered pleasantly under challenging circumstances. That’s all. And I think that makes him and a generation of his mates something wonderful to think about. His story is told with the same warmth and gentle patience with which he lived his life.

"He would say, 'You can't change yesterday' and he would put aside the suffering. ‘You know, it's pointless to be down in the dumps - all you find is rubbish.'”

Loyalty: Sir Edmund Hillary
The amazing New Zealand bee keeper, the man who conquered Mt Everest on 29th May 1953 has spent the best part of his life devoted to the health and education of his beloved Sherpa friends in the high mountains of Nepal.

He has raised funds for, and personally supervised the construction of schools and hospitals, clinics and bridges. He says he is never happier than when he is in Nepal working with these simple uncomplicated people.

Although he has explored the South Pole and climbed every significant mountain on earth, he wouldn't care if he was only remembered for his humanitarian work in Nepal - and I doubt he'd care if he wasn't remembered at all. He loves what he does and remains faithful to those who depend on him.

Creativity: David Unaipon (1872-1967)
Known as 'Australia's Leonardo' he was by trade a boot maker. He was also an inventor, poet and story teller. Like the Grimm brothers he collected his people's legends and stories. Like Edison he conducted experiments and developed inventions. Like Shaftesbury he championed the poor people's condition.

His life was one perpetual motion machine of creativity, using original points of view and inventing fresh ways to overcome difficulties.

In 1909 he patented an improved handpiece for sheep-shearing. Other inventions included a centrifugal motor, a multi-radial wheel and mechanical propulsion device; he was unable, however, to get financial backing to develop his ideas. He gained a reputation at the time of being 'Australia's Leonardo' for his promotion of scientific ideas. As early as 1914, Unaipon anticipated the helicopter, applying the principle of the boomerang. His search for the secret of perpetual motion lasted throughout his life.

A CHILD OF ITS TIME
It would never be attempted today partly because of the cost and partly because of the enormous disruption to the environment but in the heady postwar days it was a big idea that caught a lot of people’s attention.

This was a management challenge, not just in terms of the cultural differences, but in terms of safety, of which Hudson was desperately aware. But for Hudson’s foresight the death toll would doubtless have been higher. The living conditions were very rugged, with some workers comparing temperatures to fighting on the Russian Front during the war.