August 2, 2015

Finest Hour 167, Special Issue 2015

Page 19

Fifty years have passed since the death of democracy’s greatest lion, Sir Winston Churchill.

When human civilisation hung in the balance, Sir Winston Churchill gave the world courage and hope.

He warned the world of the Nazi menace. Later, after the Nazis were defeated, he warned of the threat of the ‘iron curtain’.

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Churchill taught us that appeasement is never the answer to aggression.

He also taught us that individuals and nations have a duty to speak up for freedom and to stand against tyranny.

Churchill was a complex man. He was not perfect, far from it.

He failed many times during his life. Fortunately he was a man who learned from his failures. As Churchill reflected when he was commissioned as Prime Minister in 1940: “My past life has been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial”.

In the world’s darkest hour, Churchill and Britain stood resolute against Hitler’s tyranny.

Half a century ago, Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies paid tribute to the wartime service of Churchill:

“In the whole of recorded modern history, this was, I believe, the one occasion when one man, with one soaring imagination, with one fire burning in him, and with one unrivalled capacity for conveying it to others, won a crucial victory not only for the forces…but for the very spirit of human freedom.”

On this 50th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill’s passing, we pay tribute to his legacy.

Churchill served his parliament for 55 years and his fingerprints were on everything – including the introduction of the aged pension and the minimum wage.

We draw strength from the memory of a man who taught the world that freedom, liberty and democracy must always be defended. We also draw strength from the power of his words, which serve as a reminder of the essential truths that still hold fast today.

Today, we remember Sir Winston Churchill’s life and honour his service to the  United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and our world.

The Hon Tony Abbott MP
Prime Minister of Australia
15 January 2015