Many countries have had leaders who have come from humble beginnings, and for Australia, this leader was Ben Chifley.

Joseph Benedict Chifley was born in Bathurst, NSW, Australia in 1885, the son of an Irish - Australian blacksmith.

He left school at the age of 15, and began work for the New South Wales railway, where he became an engine driver.

An active union member, Chifley joined the Australian Labor party, and in 1928, he won the Federal seat of Macquarie in the House of Representatives.

He lost the 1931 election, and reentered parliament in 1940, becoming prime Minister in 1945.

Losing the 1949 election, Chifley became the leader of the opposition and retained that position until his death in 1951.

More from Wikipedia…

Apart from a number of reforms, many of which are still current today, Ben Chifley is remembered for his battles with right wing opponents, with his efforts to nationalize the banks, as well as sending troops into the coal mines in 1949 to counter a bitter, communist inspired strike.

Being in power at the dawn of the Cold War, leading a democratically elected socialist government while battling elements of the union movement appears to be a perfect paradox.

Ben Chifley: A Local Man

Rather than move to Canberra, Chifley maintained his home in Bathurst, and stayed at Canberra’s Kurrajong hotel when parliament was sitting.

Today, his home at number 10 Busby street in Bathurst is maintained as a memorial to the man that many consider one of Australia’s greatest Prime Ministers.

The modest cottage, built during the 1880s, is furnished and fitted just as it was during the time that Chifley and his wife Elizabeth lived there.

Reading about Chifley’s life shows that he was a simple man, who grew up knowing hardship, and deprivation.

Being a unionist, and a member of the Australian Labor Party, Chifley was a democratic socialist.

Today’s Labor party is described as being a Social Democratic party, and follows the so called ‘third way’.

Ben Chifley’s influence on Bathurst is still strong, and many members of the family are still in the area.

In fact one of my first memories as a child is of playing around the statue of the man near my home.

One of my high school teachers was a nephew of Ben’s, and I worked with another of his relatives at the local hospital for a time.

This post has been wasting away on my computer for some time, until I had the opportunity to see the production of ‘A Local Man’,a play written by Bob Ellis and Robin McLachlan.

The play is set in the living room of Chifley’s house in Busby St., Bathurst, shortly before his death.

Ben Chifley was a man of his time, shaped by the times in which he lived, and who went on to be one of the most successful, and well loved Prime Ministers that Australia has known.

Many have that Ben Chifley was Australia’s Abraham Lincoln, rising from poverty, and a working class background, educating himself as he worked on the railway.

For Bathurst though, he is a Local Man, our Ben Chifley!

Bibliography:

A Local Man by Bob Ellis and Robin McLachlan
Currency Press 2005, 2007

Chifley by David Day
Harper Collins 2001

Fathers’ Day always makes me think, and so does Mothers’ day!

As I watch my kids continue to grow, and experience the ups and downs of their teen years and early adulthood, I think more and more on these special days.

My own teen years were full of rebellion and disregard for authority, I was after all a child of the 60s.

Of course, I knew everything and tried to present myself in a good light, but on admitting to an aunt last year that I was a bit of a handful, she turned and told me that I a was a proper bastard of a kid.

That’s why I think so much about my parents now that they have gone.

And it’s also why I shake my head at my own kids.

It’s fine to want change, to explore, but the fact is that there is a time and a season for all things.

Move too soon, and risk failure, move too late, or not at all, and live a life of regret.

We need to live our lives to the full along the way, as it is a journey.

To treat it any other way is to miss out on a lot of living!

I have a regular visitor to my blog who has regrets from the past, and who seems to prefer to live there and blame everyone else rather than move on.

This post is the only answer I will give that person, as I have moved on!

The Lesson Of The Older Brother

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the elder brother was really ticked off because their father had turned on a party to celebrate the younger one’s return.

He didn’t realize that everything that the father had was his anyway, and all he had to do was ask.

Instead, he chose to hang around out of a sense of duty, bearing a grudge the whole time.

The lesson of the parable is this: God forgives and accepts us back.

Not only that, but He sets an example for earthly parents to follow on forgiveness, and acceptance.

The prodigal son teaches us that we need to accept forgiveness and renewal in order to get on with our lives.

The older brother presents a choice too: we can hang around out of a sense of duty, and harbor bitterness because we feel hard done by.

The father teaches us grace, and forgiveness.

At some time in our lives, we may fulfill all three roles.

It’s up to us to choose between living in a morass of mediocrity, or move on and live our lives to the full!

You’re Gonna Miss This: Trace Adkins

About Trace Adkins

Trace Adkins, born January 13, 1962 in Springhill, Louisiana, is an American country music singer-songwriter.

Adkins made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin’ Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville.

The Last Say!

At every stage of our lives, we’re going to have the chance to take what is at hand in our lives, and live it, for better or for worse.

It’s up to us to forgive, forget, and to accept forgiveness.

None of us are perfect, and we all make mistakes. To not admit those mistakes, at least to ourselves, can only lead to bitterness and regret later, especially if it affects relationships.

I love Friday - apart from the fact that it’s the end of the work week, I only work part of the day.

Today, #1 daughter was working, #2 and #3 were off visiting friends, and so I only had to pick Little Biddie up from school. Seeing as there were only the two of us, it was a chance to do something special (when you have more than one child, finding ways to do something unique with each one can be difficult).

Our treat today was chocolate, hot chocolate and a choc/caramel muffin that we shared!

As we walked back to Daisy (the daihatsu that we drive around town to save fuel), my daughter pointed at the pie shop and said ‘hey Dad, it’s pieday’!

Friday is often Pieday at our place. The local bakery marks their pies down to half price, and the lady behind the counter always manages to save a good selection for us.

The pies can be chicken, or curried steak, or anyone of a number of other varieties.

Meat pies are a national dish here in Australia, and are favorites at sporting events, while schools and sporting clubs will often have a pie drive to raise funds.

Our family loves the convenience of buying the pies, and putting extras in the freezer for a quick meal later over the weekend.

What is more important than the national dish though, is the relationship with my family. Something as simple and mundane as a trip to the pie shop can become a special chance to have some ‘us’ time, whether the ‘us’ is husband and wife, or parent and child.

So often, parents feel that they have to do something ‘BIG’ to bless their kids, like the best holiday, or the latest, greatest something. The truth is that what their kids want, is parents who love them.

The greatest thrill for me is when my kids just want to hang out with their mother, or me, or both of us.

In the rush that is life today, kids need time out to be able to talk, to listen, and to just be themselves. It’s how they grow.

How are YOU travelling on this front? Without seeking to condemn, I’d like to ask you how you think you’re going in this area? I know what it’s like to be busy, and to work long hours. Special time can be occasional, no one would enjoy it if it was too regimented and planned.

We haven’t got them for long you know, and they don’t have us for long either. Instead of thinking of reasons why you cant spend time with them, why not come up with a reason to bless them, and yourself, today…?