J R Nethercote: A tribute
The Menzies Research Centre pays homage to distinguished political historian John ‘J R’ Nethernote. By David Furse-Roberts.
This week, Australia sadly lost a great political historian, public servant and lead expert on government administration and parliament with the passing of JR ‘John’ Nethercote at age 74.
John enjoyed a long, successful career in the Australian public service and in academia. His career included stints as a committee secretary in the Senate, and as a panellist on several public service reviews. These included his contribution to the Coombs Royal Commission into Australian Government Administration (1974-1976). The Coombs report was then published in 1977 with J R Nethercote and Cameron Hazlehurst as co-editors.
In addition to his public servant role, John served as an adjunct Professor of the Australian Catholic University, and it was in this capacity that he shone as a historian of Australian politics. John was the editor of numerous books and journals on political institutions, government and politics. His publications included Liberalism and the Australian Federation (2001), The Whig View of Australian History and other Essays (2002), Menzies: The Shaping of Modern Australia (2016) and Road to Freedom: The Origins of Australia’s Greatest Political Party (2019). With his writing reaching a wider popular audience, John penned articles for The Sydney Morning Herald and appeared as a guest on ABC Radio.
As his friend Julian Leeser MP noted this week, ‘John was a font of historical knowledge about Australian Government’. Indeed, to know John was really to ‘shake hands with Australian political history’. John had personally met every leader from both sides of Australian politics since Sir Robert Menzies and his opposite number, Arthur Calwell. To those of us fortunate to enjoy John’s company, he would regale us with fascinating tales, from serving a glass of Scotch to Menzies to discussing Mahler with Paul Keating. This made John the consummate raconteur and ideal dinner companion.
Living life to the full, John was always fond of a good red wine, a hearty Chinese meal and a classical concert at the Sydney Opera House. Sporting a bow tie, often with a maroon jacket and trilby hat, he was a lovably eccentric, larger than life character who was never afraid to stand out from the crowd. In person, John was gregarious, engaging and always great company. Ever generous with his knowledge and time, John helped mentor a number of young interns and staff at the Menzies Research Centre. As a great friend of the MRC, he invested heavily in its people, helping to foster their interest in Australian political history and develop their writing skills.
I, for one, was a very fortunate beneficiary of John’s mentorship and personal friendship. In writing my own publications, John would devote many hours to proofreading my manuscripts and offering invaluable feedback. His input made me a better writer, and I, like so many others, remain indebted to both his remarkable talent and personal kindness. For helping the broader public to better understand our political past and the workings of government, Australia is in his debt.