A new portrait has been unveiled in Canberra to celebrate Bob Katter’s 50 years of service to Queensland and the federal parliament.
Painted by award-winning artist David Darcy, the large-scale work will be displayed in Parliament House’s Members Hall.
Anthony Albanese unveiled the portrait on Thursday, saying: “Bob has become one of Australia’s most recognisable figures.”
“There’s no mistaking that face or voice … We’ve seen him dressed as a pig, we’ve seen him dressed as the grim reaper.
There will be a corner of this Parliament House that is forever Bob Katter.”
The painting shows Katter in a suit, holding his trademark Akubra hat, against a backdrop of deep red and brown tones.
“This is not a painting of a person and I hope no one sees it that way,” Katter said.
“It is recognition of people who have very strong feelings about their country to make it a land of opportunity.”
Katter has represented the vast electorate of Kennedy in northwestern Queensland since 1993. Before entering federal politics, he served in the Queensland parliament for the seat of Flinders, beginning in 1974.
Over his long career, Katter was first a member of The Nationals, later becoming an independent in 2001 and then founding Katter’s Australian Party in 2011.
Born in the small town of Cloncurry in 1945, Katter has long been a strong advocate for rural and agricultural communities.
In his first speech to parliament in 1993, he paid tribute to his mother, crediting her with shaping his values and outlook on life.
“The first person I would like to pay tribute to is my mum, who brought me up to be sincere, to love one’s country deeply, to be good to people less fortunate than oneself and to understand that one’s ultimate responsibility was always to God,” he said.
Image: Parliament House Canberra Facebook
