“A politician who was admired home and abroad although not always universally loved. A man of immense stature and authority…..his sartorial elegance augmented his gravitas and presence….He spoke in a honey voice with crisp expressiveness that was British in tone but was uniquely Australian in its inflection….He filled any room, was always imposing and always the centre of attention. And so, for generations of Australians, Menzies was ‘the’ Prime Minister”. –Troy Bramston, Author
Robert Menzies – The Art of Politics:
The launch of Troy Bramston‘s new biography explores Sir Robert Menzies’ leadership from a
historical and contemporary perspective and provides a fascinating insight regarding the complexities of leadership and lessons learned on the journey.
The last Prime Minister to be born in the 19th century, Menzies, as founder of the Liberal Party, was a ‘colossus’ in Australia and on the world
stage, serving as Prime Minister twice and as leader of the Liberal Party, leading a team that secured seven election victories over 16 years.
“Much more substantial than his critics would allow but with more faults than his admirers will accept”, Troy’s biography, the first in 20 years, is a
no holds bar examination of Menzies legacy and provides insights and lessons on leadership that are still relevant today.In Menzies own words the practice
of politics is ‘an art and a science’ – the science of knowing what to do and the art of knowing when and how to do it.
The Paul Keating: The Big-Picture Leader and Rudd, Gillard and Beyond author provides a balanced account of Menzies – the biography seeks to captures
the real man. “Menzies, a man never questioned for his intellect and integrity” learnt much about himself and the art of leadership over the course
of this life, and Troy explores these insights to provide a compelling picture of Menzies and his legacy.
The Menzies Foundation embodies these values today across its initiatives in Education, Science and Law. As a testament to Menzies integrity, leadership
qualities and in his great service to our nation, we seek to support initiatives that build leadership capability in our areas of focus, and in reflecting
on this work, we aspire to convene a leadership discourse which acknowledges the complexity of contemporary leadership and emphasises the importance
of integrity and service to our nation.
You can learn more about Troy Bramston here