The highlight of the event was the seventh Henry Parkes oration delivered by Doctor John Bannon AO.

Friends of Sir Henry Parkes committee chair Ken Halliday said Dr Brannon was invited to present the oration because of his commitment to researching, writing and lecturing on the history of federation, the Australian Constitution and federal-state relations in Australia. His role as Premier of South Australia from 1982 to 1992 provided Dr Bannon with first hand involvement in federal-state relations.

Dr Bannon is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Adelaide and a visiting research fellow at Flinders University, Adelaide. In March this year he released his latest publication, Supreme Federalist: the political life of Sir John Downer.

He set the scene for the oration by focusing on Henry Parkes’s 1889 federation call to the people in Tenterfield and during the next decade when Parkes and his colleagues, with the endorsement of the people, brought together six self-governing colonies of very different size, population and wealth into a federal partnership.

Dr Bannon told his audience that respect from the federal authorities for the nature and equality of that partnership has been under threat for the past 100 years, but it remains fundamental to the strength and coherence of the Commonwealth of Australia.

He said that attempts to improve the existing arrangements between levels of government would be successful, provided struggles for power were avoided and efforts were concentrated on sharing responsibility in a cooperative fashion for the better good of the people.

His attentive audience of around 60 people included a tour party of 15 National Trust After Hours Committee members who travelled from Sydney for the event.

Proceedings also included Helen Du roux’s welcome to country address, a tribute to Sir Henry by Tenterfield High School captains Lindsay Meldrum and Ambre Woodward and a display of original portraits of the man by students of the Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School. Mr Halliday confirms there were some “distinct likenesses” amongst the artwork.