Sir William Deane: the things that matter

by Tony Stephens

Sir William Deane is a much-loved and respected public figure. Relatively unknown during much of his legal career, during his term as Governor-General he redefined what Australians expect from that office, and performed his role as head of state with grace, dignity and compassion. He showed all Australians what they could expect of those who hold public office.
Sir William Deane was Governor-General during a time of great change in this country - political, economic and social. He was a unifying force throughout and even those who may have disagreed with some of his views recognised that he was a most impressive leader.
Sir William Deane - The Thngs That Matter is an engaging and sympathetic profile of the man and his views. Tony Stephens has drawn on a number of interviews with William Deane over the past few years, and the many speeches he gave during his public life. (From the back cover)

Genres: Politics, History, Biography, Nonfiction

262 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sir William Deane was and is an iconic, highly respectable and one of but a few public figures I really look up to. He was the right man at the right time saying the right things in a deeply sincere way during some terrible times of mourning and grief in Australia. It was initially with much interest I read this.

Its is not an autobiography as stated at the beginning but more over a collection of speeches, events linked in with an introduction to each section. At times this made for very boring reading with parts repeated over and again. It does however go in-depth on Sir William's time on the high court on which he was part of the panel that handed down the landmark Mabo decision for land rights. It opened up my perspective more as he says that it wasn't until they lived amongst the aborigines did he see how discriminated against they were.

My favourite quote comes from page 196 by Lady Helen Deane
" Meaningful communication and personal associations overcome the exaggerated sense of difference which flows from ignorance "

As a Christian I was challenged by this to think, do I know the perspective of the poor people ( both spiritually, materially and both ) around me ?.

The speeches at towards the end spoken at tragic events demonstrate how character and integrity can lift people in unity.

[Doris Vaarwerk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads a lot like a text book but found lots of interesting information.