Talk:Vince Gair

Gair Park
This says Gair Park was opened in 1936. Gair didn't become Premier till 1952, so it's very unlikely it would have been named after him until after 1952, and so it must have had an earlier name. Any ideas what it was originally called and when it was renamed? --  Jack of Oz   [your turn]  06:34, 20 August 2011 (UTC)

Gair's middle name
I have changed it from "Clare" to "Clair". Both his headstone and the official Qld Government website spell it this way.

His Excellency the Ambassador
The Article currently says - Later life - "Gair took up his post in Ireland. During his tenure, he got into numerous rows with the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and other ambassadors. Several female staffers resigned to protest his frequently inappropriate (and often alcohol-induced) behavior. " What citations are there to support those interesting assertions, please ? (No-one could dispute the notoriously Blotto part.) Moreover, should the Article explicitly mention the delectable Carrot of Faith that Whitlam had so deviously dangled - of Gair becoming the accredited non-resident (either in the Vatican or in Rome) Australian Ambassdaor to The Vatican. Gair being a Roman Catholic, and all.121.127.215.9 (talk) 01:52, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

I found this published source material - QUOTE The Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9 (Melbourne University Press, 1983) has the following summary of Vince Gair's diplomatic career: To improve Labor's chances of winning an additional Queensland seat in the Senate, Prime Minister Whitlam recommended Gair for appointment as ambassador to the Republic of Eire. Gair delayed his formal resignation and (Sir) Joh Bjelke Petersen, the premier of Queensland, confounded Whitlam's scheme by advising the governor to issue writs for five rather than six Senate places. On 1 April 1974 an embittered Gair was appointed ambassador by his erstwhile political enemies and was expelled from the D.L.P. The ensuing storm of protest provided a pretext for the coalition and the D.L.P. to try to block supply in the Senate. Whitlam countered by obtaining a double dissolution. At the polls on 18 May the government was returned and all four remaining D.L.P. senators were defeated.

During the political furore, Gair had left on 2 May to take up his appointment, which proved a disaster. The feisty ex-Senator was not suited to diplomacy. He refused his officials' advice, antagonized the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and his fellow heads of mission, and addressed the British ambassador as 'You old bugger'; his inappropriate behaviour also led to the resignation of some female members of staff. Moreover, he persisted in making public comments on Australian domestic politics. The coalition was finally provoked when he repeated his criticisms of Snedden; Andrew Peacock, minister for foreign affairs in the new Malcolm Fraser administration, recalled him on 21 January 1976. In an angry response, Gair rhetorically asked if this was the thanks he got for having kept the Liberals in power. He returned to Brisbane on 12 March and withdrew from public life. (Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9 [MUP 1983], p.241--part of article by B.J. Costar) UNQUOTE

The need for the Article to mention the non-resident Ambassadorship to The Vatican remains to be addressed.

HOWEVER, the Canberra Times report of PM Whitlam's press conference at http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/110709768?searchTerm=%22Australian%20Ambassador%22%20Vatican&searchLimits=sortby=dateDesc includes a Question about The Vatican supposedly declining an Australian nomination, which question the PM declined to answer.

Later this is reported on 13 June 1974 - QUOTE Mr J. M. McMillan was appointed Ambassador to the Vatican, replacing Dr L. D. Thomson. Mr McMillan, who is Australia's Ambassador to Turkey, will live in Ankara and will make periodic visits to the Vatican. UNQUOTE source - http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/110783268?searchTerm=%22Australian%20Ambassador%22%20Vatican&searchLimits=sortby=dateDesc#pstart12218017

And later, on 5 June 1975, McMillan as non-resident Ambo, is mentioned in :Vice Regal" http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/110640817?searchTerm=%22Australian%20Ambassador%22%20Vatican&searchLimits=sortby=dateDesc

It does seem that GAIR was ONLY Ambo to ireland.

180.200.142.189 (talk) 23:19, 14 February 2014 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 09:58, 30 April 2016 (UTC)