A proud family moment

Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard personally thanked all of the Chifley descendants who travelled from around the country to attend the event.

Jane Chifley and her sisters Elizabeth Chifley and Sue Martin, were delighted their great uncle was being recognised through the new education centre and later at the annual Light on the Hill dinner.

“I went to the first Light on the Hill and I think that dinner is a fitting tribute to Ben Chifley,” she said.

“His attitude, reason and ethics to politics was so unique and it is great to see the dinner getting bigger and bigger every year.”

Jane said what stood out most vividly about Ben Chifley was his reason for originally getting into politics.

“My dad asked him once why he got into politics and Ben said he had seen lines of men without jobs and without food during the depression and he wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again,” he said.

“He wanted to take care of the banks and put in the regulations to do so.”

Ben Chifley’s great nephew, John Chifley Jr travelled from Sydney especially for the occasion despite not remembering ever meeting him.

“I don’t remember Ben but I do remember Aunty Liz,” he said.

“My mum, Cecily, would help out when Liz was sick and I can remember sitting on the kitchen floor of number 10 waiting for her to finish.”

While organisers hope that one day the new education centre will become an institution for visitors to Bathurst, John Jr joked he was always reminded of one particular experience when standing in front of number 10 Busby Street.

“I almost came to grief on this very hill once,” he said.

“My dad used to do the dry cleaning and put the bets on for Aunty Liz and when I was about three I let the hand break off and dad had to race back to the car to save me.”