Thursday, December 7, 2017

HAROLD HOLT DISAPPEARANCE REMEMBERED IN PARLIAMENT

December  17 being the 50th anniversary  of  the  disappearance  of Prime Minister Harold Holt  while swimming at  Cheviot  Beach , Victoria, in  l967 ,  here  is a flashback  to  a lighthearted moment in Townsville when  Holt, third from the right, laughing ,  visited  the  university , and  was  confronted  by a student  in  underwater gear .
 
 He  and  Mrs  Holt, Zara , pictured ,  spent   time relaxing  and spearfishing in  North Queensland . The   PM  had a friend  from  early university days in Melbourne  ,  artist and  environmentalist  John Horatio  Busst,  involved in  early moves  to  save  the Great Barrier Reef   from  mining  and  oil  drilling .
 
 Recently  a  special  ceremony was held  at  Ellison Reef   to mark the   50th  anniversary  of  the  successful campaign  led by  Busst to  prevent   its   mining . As a  result , it set the  legal precedent for  protecting the Great Barrier  Reef, a large part of it now in a sorry state due to coral bleaching , crown of thorns , runoff,  undeniable climate change .   According to those who inspected Ellison Reef  last October  it  was  not  in very good shape.  Part of  the anniversary  took part  at   Busst's  distinctive  residence  , Ninney Rise, at Bingil Bay, from whence he  led to the fight  to save the  reef and  rainforest  in  the  l960s  and l970s.
 
In the   Special Collections, Eddie  Koiki  Mabo Library , James Cook University, Townsville , are the important  personal   papers of  Busst ,  which includes three boxes of letters ,  one  to  American president  Lyndon  Baines  Johnson (LBJ), calling on him to back a move to  set up adjoining  marine and wildlife  parks throughout   Australia in  honour of   Harold  Holt. There are  also interesting  letters  from  poet  Judith  Wright , strongly involved in the  campaign  to  protect the  Great Barrier  Reef . Mrs  Alison Busst was  with  Zara  Holt  the  day the PM  disappeared . 
 
Made a Dame, Zara  married  a Liberal  dairy farmer  politician , Jeff  Bate, in 1969 and  lived with him in a 100 year old  stone house at  Tilba Tilba  on the NSW  south coast ; he  died in 1984. Upon her death in 1989, she  was  buried  at Sorrento Cemetery , the  closest   graveyard  to  Cheviot  Beach  where  Harold Holt  got  caught  in  a  rip  and  disappeared. 
At the  special  House of Representatives Harold Holt  commemoration this week were  members of  the  family, Holt's press secretary  Tony Eggleston , in the middle, former treasurer and friend of  the family, Peter  Costello, far left .
 
Former   Northern Territory  News   Walkley  Award  winning  reporter  and author  Keith Willey  covered  the  dramatic   Holt  disappearance  for  the   Sydney  Sun .