“He loved Australians and they loved him back”: Bob Hawke farewelled in Sydney
Australians around the country have come together on the steps of the Opera House to pay tribute to political heavyweight and former prime minister Bob Hawke.
Hawke passed away peacefully at his Sydney home on May 16, aged 89, and his death took the entire world by surprise.
Having touched several lives with his work as prime minister, thousands of well-wishers flocked to the iconic Sydney monument – the place where Hawke launched a number of his campaigns.
Hours before the ceremony, hundreds began lining up to watch the ceremony unfold, which they broadcasted on a giant screen.
Family, friends and other prominent figures joined his widow Blanche d’Alpuget to honour his legacy and share a few words.
“How do you measure a giant?” asked Labor leader Anthony Albanese, as he took to the stage to deliver a powerful eulogy.
“Bob Hawke was not towering physically but somehow he seemed bigger than all of us.”
“He loved Australians and they loved him back. It was indeed a national romance.
“He loved us together because we understood that our greatest strengths flow from unity. He reached out, he listened, he learned, he encouraged, and he dared, dared us to be a better nation.”
Also taking to the stage was Hawke’s former colleague and rival Paul Keating, who spoke about the success they achieved together while at the forefront of the party.
“I think I can say the template which we and our remarkable cabinet colleagues set into place in those 13 years has provided the foundations for Australia’s burgeoning growth and wealth in a fundamental sense, ever since really,” he said.
Before the service begun, Hawke's family reflected on their time with the man who changed the country for the better.
His wife Blanche, children and grandchildren were some of the first to arrive to the ceremony.
With so many of the guests invited sharing their memories of the politician he was, his son Stephen simply stated two words: “My dad”.
“It’s really not much more complicated than that – he was my old man,” he told the ABC.
“He wasn’t the perfect father, but he was very much a loving father and was loved in return by all of us.”
His daughter Sue Pieters-Hawke said she’d “always be proud of what dad did” as he provided “hope and belief” to Australians.
She fondly remembered her time spent with him as a child.
“Back in the day there were weekend mornings with just Steve, Ros and I, the dog and the cat, all sprawled with Mum and Dad on their bed, reading newspapers, playing boardgames, telling stories, and listening and chattering away,” she said.
His wife concluded the tributes, asking his legion of fans to stop mourning and to celebrate his life instead.
“We smile again, we glow with pride for the presence among us for almost 90 years of a great human being,” she said.
Scroll through the gallery above to see photos from Bob Hawke’s memorial service.