Felicia, the political memoirs of Don Dunstan

by Don Dunstan

Genres: Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 1982

Reviews

[Thomas Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely deserves a longer review, but this was all-round an entertaining ride through South Australian politics and the Australian Labour Party of the 1960s and 1970s. Dunstan’s memoirs are pretty readable even for someone with only the most basic knowledge of South Australia and its politics (i.e. me), although at times it’s obvious he’s just trying to get things in his own words on the record (I don’t blame him) and the whole book could really have done with a better editing and typesetting job. Worth reading just to appreciate a state premier writing clearly and frankly in their own words about their frustrations with partisanship and factionalism, entrenched outlooks and views (often racist in the ALP of the time), and less than competent or reasonable colleagues and public figures (particularly Governors and Federal Ministers).

[Ruby Tombstone Lives! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have yet to read this cover to cover, but this book contains the infamous doomsday incident story, which is enough to earn it five stars in my opinion!

For the uninitiated: In 1976, a "clairvoyant" prophesied that there was to be an earthquake which would cause a tidal wave to engulf the city of Adelaide on 19 January. He claimed it was God's punishment for Adelaide becoming a 'sin city'. Hysteria hit as a result and some even sold their houses and moved away. On the morning of the 19th, then South Australian Premier Don Dunstan (openly gay, often seen in tight lilac shorts, and supposedly the bringer of "sin") went down to the shore at Glenelg. He was followed by thousands of people, many armed with goggles and flippers (!), and he set out to prove that there was nothing to the prediction. The tidal wave never came, the great charismatic man pointed to the nearest ripple, commenting that it was indeed a small tsunami.

One of the many reasons people worship the memory of Don Dunstan.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book at a 2ndhand bookshop in the city a few months ago. I have picked up bits and pieces of Don Dunstan's legacy to South Australia from his time in the House Assembly, but that information was rather scattered. Some of the surprises taken away from this book was how the State's upper house the Legislative Council, was not elected by all the eligible voters, but was limited to those with property. Up until 1969 the right to vote for the upper house was limited by property ownership or paying high rents. And the House Assembly's voting districts was aligned in such a way that the very sparsely populated rural areas had more seats than the metropolitan area. Don Dunstan helped change that. Another take away was how much push back for fair distribution of federal money there was from the Labor government under Whitlam. I was familiar with some of the names and issues from those times from reading the two part volumes of Whitlam's biography by Jenny Hocking last year. He was also involved in the debates over foreign policy for Labor nationally and writes that while he supported the move to support the Northwest Cape military base to be held by the USA, he said he later changed his mind about the need for that base. (It still exists and is under US control) The decision to accept it was done at the Labor conference at the committee level and passed on the narrowest margin 19-17. It was at this conference that the press coined the term thirty-six faceless men running the party. His legacy included, but not limited to: decriminalizing homosexuality, Aboriginal land-rights, appointed the first female judge, established strong consumer protection laws, overhauled both houses of the Legislature, abolished the death penalty, reduced the censorship laws (ironic in that current Labor governments, both state and federal are trying to increase censorship), lowered the voting age to 18, gave strong support to the arts and established the South Australian Film Commission. While at times I found the going rather dry, I now know a lot more about the man and the times of Adelaide in the 60's and 70's.

[Timothy Pickering · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on SA politics that exists. Even though it chronicles a very important time of social change in Adelaide much of the content is still relevant today. You will not get a better understanding of SA from anywhere else.