THE Light on the Hill dinner reflected not just on the man Ben Chifley was, but the country he would want Australians to live in today.
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On Saturday night, Labor Party supporters and family of the former Prime Minister gathered at Bathurst Panthers for the annual dinner.
This year's guest speaker was shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers and the Member for Rankin in Queensland.
In his address, Mr Chalmers spoke about Labor and the economy, which he called " two abiding and defining interests" of Chifley.
"There's a great tradition of Labor's role in making rules for the global economy, in creating a global consensus favourable to trade, investment and global prosperity, based on widely accepted rules applying to all the participants, great and small," he said.
"And Labor in government has been consistent - insisting that the fair go needs fair markets.
"Chifley set the mould."
Mr Chalmers also wasn't afraid to touch on Labor's loss at the last election, saying Labor needed to "listen to the message we were sent, and learn from the result".
President of the Bathurst branch of the Labor Party, Sue West, said Mr Chalmers gave a high-quality speech.
"I had not met him before or seen him in person and now I know why he was appointed to the shadow cabinet in his first term," she said.
Speaking to the Western Advocate on Sunday, Mr Chalmers said it was a "massive honour" to have been asked to deliver the address.
"It is one of those opportunities that no one in the Labor Party will ever say no to because the speech is such a big deal," he said.
As part of his quick visit to Bathurst, the shadow treasurer went to Chifley Home to better understand the man he would pay tribute to.
The house has been left as a museum and contains a number of possessions belonging to Chifley and his wife, Elizabeth.
Mr Chalmers said the thing that caught his attention was Chifley's suitcase, which reminded him of the many miles he would have had to travel and how much he was away from his home and family.
He said that Chifley was an important figure to the Labor Party and someone who politicians could learn a lot from.
"He is an inspiring figure. He was a very humble man he he was always looking forward and not back," he said, adding that he remained invested in his community even as Prime Minister.
Ms West said preparations were already under way for the next Light on the Hill dinner, set to be held in September 2020.
"We've started fixing dates for next year," she said. "It is a significant event on the Labor Party calendar and we have a lot of people from all around the state and the country who attend."
