I am greatly honoured to be invited to deliver the inaugural oration in memory of Robert Nestdale.
Today, we open a library here in the NSW Division of Liberal Party Headquarters to be known as the Nestdale Library.
It has been generously endowed by many of Robert's friends as well as a number of Liberals and admirers.
The foremost contribution is from Robert himself, from his personal collection of books and papers on a wide range of political social and human rights issues. These form the Library's core.
No doubt over time, many other Liberals, former Young Liberals and perhaps even those like Gough Whitlam, who has donated one of his own works, will want to add to it. I suspect Heather will want to off load many of my treasurers, if I precedence her.
It is pleasing Mr & Mrs Nestdale are here today to open the library as it was shortly after Robert's untimely death that this venture was first discussed. I am pleased that they endorsed my view that a permanent home for Robert's library and memorabilia should be found.
I would like to thank Michael Photios for his role as custodian of the Library contents for some 4 years. More so, I would also like to thank John Brodgen, President of the NSW Division of Young Liberals, for his drive and enthusiasm in bringing this project to fruition. John has been a most worthy successor to the many distinguished occupiers of the post whom we remember or are here today.
It is delightful that Clarice Bradbury is able to share this occasion with us today. Bevan, a friend to us all, will be particularly remembered for his encouragement to so many Young Liberals. Youth brings new ideas and new challenges to comfortable orthodoxy. Bevan recognised this. He would have loved to be here to see Young Liberals and Party members better resourced in developing their potential skills.
Sir John Carrick also a welcome guest today was to many of us in earlier times such mentor.
It is additionally a pleasure to welcome so many Parliamentary colleagues who know Robert well and have decided, in a tangible way by their presence, to honour Robert today.
This oration in time is intended to be an occasion of some monument for the Liberal Party. Hopefully speakers more distinguished than me will challenge our future young leaders. For this address, however, the scene needs to be set, for Robert Nestdale was a worthy example in every aspect of his short four decades of life.
I met Robert when he was President of Parramatta Young Liberals. He was then in his early twenties, one of a number of Young Liberals working in ministerial offices — Chris Puplick with Bill Wentworth, Minister for Social Security, and Robert with Malcolm Mackay, Minister for the Navy. Robert was there when Heather and I met in Perth in 1970.
Robert lived in a loving family with many friends from his school days. Most weekends were occupied with young friends, but not always with contemporaries, as you might expect.
His friends were often children like his two god-children, Adam and Caitlin, one of whom, Caitlin Ruddock, harbours ambitions to be a paediatric oncologist. Her aspirations reflect his love for children to cure those suffering from the disease that took his life.
Another was Fiona, a blind country student, from St Lucy's School for Blind Children at Wahroonga, whom he repeatedly took on weekend outings simply as a community service. Only his closest friends, or like Peter Baume who discovered this by accident, were aware of this involvement.
Robert lived his life in service for others.
Branch, State and Federal leadership roles were his, but it was not office that he sought. Rather he was interested in what he could achieve. He took Edmund Burke's dictum to heart, that "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good a man should do nothing". It distinguished him from so many.
The label "wet" was never applied to Robert. I don't think Margaret Thatcher had coined it then.
Robert's political interests were rather of the small "I" "caring" variety. Who else could have lamented that Malcolm Fraser had show insensitivity to the poor, the young, the black, the ethnic, the sick, the jobless, the disabled and the homeless.
It was Robert, who has he retired as Young Liberals Federal Chairman, called for a national plan to eradicate poverty and, as one journalist observed, thought it may be necessary to eradicate the Prime Minister first. Like so many, and with later comparisons available, Robert readily reassessed Malcolm's contribution in a much more positive light.
A year earlier, he scored headlines in New South Wales when he disclosed that a women 102 years of age had been locked up for some 81 years from 1899 in Orange in a psychiartric hopsital. Her name, Sophie Stewart, was etched in the mind of Labor Health Minister Kevin Stewart as Robert pressed for reform in our approach to mental health. This was a matter of a real human rights concern.
It was Robert who worked tirelessly for a youth corps, one that would utilise young people in assisting out aid programs offshore. Robert always believed that there was no reason to be in Government without a purpose.
Robert boasted of his shift in direction. It was exemplified in the issues he took up. It was manifest in his career — political apparatchik, company executive to international aid worker and lobbyist.
It was demostrated in his other interests, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists.
Robert was one who agonised, like his mentors, Allen Missen and Peter Baume, about the events of 1975. In his personal papers there sitll remains an extensive collection of press clippings on this very issue. Cosntructive engagement on the conventions of our Constitution are essential for better understanding of modern day questions of constitutional reform, as I am sure Robert would tell us if he were here today. We should be guided by Thomas Paine when he said:
"He who would guard his own liberty must guard even his enemy from oppression".
Robert was known for his humanity and valued friendships across politial divides. Former Labor Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, wrote of Robert at the time of his funeral. John Dowd, in this eulogy, was joined by Gough Whitlam.
In the Parliament, Peter Baume and Chris Puplick spoke eloquently and were joined by Labor Senator Bruce Childs, President of the Parlimentary Group of UNICEF.
Robert was renowned around the world. Who is this room could number as friends, an actress of Audrey Hepburn's stature, the Commonwealth Secretary General Chief Emeka Anyaoku or African Leader Kenneth Kaunda just for starters?
More importantly who else could have launched a crusade so successfully to save the lives of 40,000 children who die each day from preventable diseases or increased, threefold, funds raised in Australia from public and official sources to $14 million a y ear for UNICEF? All in only four and a half years.
Robert was never short of grand illusions to press a powerful message. In November 1989, shortly before his death, he wrote "enlightened action for children is still ususally the exception rather than the norm. Yet so many of the great social reforms of history have been initiated by enlightening minorities: the abortion of slavery, equality for women, the struggle against colonialism and environmental protection".
There is still scope today to press for resolute respones, even in Australia, to implement a plan of action arising from the Global Summit for Children. Even today, questions in our Parliament still take up Robert's cause.
In Amnesty, Robert was the only non-Parliametary member or staff person to maintain office in the unique Canberra based Parliamentary Group. He also sat on the NSW Section Executive for a time and, in 1984 participated in the London discussion on international developments in "South Asia".
His favours were not narrowly based as he became, as a non lawyer, an activist for the International Commission of Jurists.
With Rodney Lewis, he participated in a number of forums, such as the Regional seminar in Penang, Malaysia. His report on "Human Rights and Development in the Rural Areas of South East Asia" which I have with me should be added to this Library collection; likewise his report on the quadrennial meeting of April 1981 "An International Conference on Development and the Rule of Law".
Thus, Robert Nestdale, a friend, a Young Liberal, a humanitarian, a citizen of the world, who ended his life as National Director of UNICEF Australia, today is given another very fitting memorial.
But as John Dowd noted in his eulogy:
"Many memorials will be established in Robert's name but in the children that will live because of Robert's work there will be hundreds of thousands".
For Young Liberals, his real legacy shall be the example of "fearless advocate".