The boy from Jerilderie, reputed to have held Ned Kelly's horse - a 'legend' he neither confirmed nor denied...
I'm embarrassed that I didn't recognise Australia's greatest General. Read a biography of him last year. Totally agree with your assessment. [My maternal grandfather served under him. Pop was an original member of the 21st battalion and lucky enough to survive the war, as the 21st lost more than its total compliment between 1915 - 18. But for Monash's organisational ability far more servicemen would've been killed, ... and I would likely not be writing this.]
An amasing feat for an amateur soldier to rise to command not only the entire AIF but, in effect, much of the allied forces on the Western Front by the end of the war. AAnd all this based solely on merit, and despite 'anti colonialism' and anti semitism in many quarters, including both Murdoch and Australian War Historian C.E.W. Bean - although Bean did later acknowledge his error.
Before WW1 he was already an accomplished engineer, responsible for the 'Outer Circle' railway and had pioneered reinforced concrete structures. Also the driving force behind the development of the State Electricity Commission in the 1920s.
Monash was also a great democrat, he refused to have anything to do with the 'New Guard', an organisation made up predominantly of ex-WW1 officers of a conservative mind-set, who wanted to overthrow several state governments - especially the NSW Labor government - during the depression. His refusal to 'lead' them took the wind from their sails, had he agreed it might have ended otherwise.
Hard to imagine that 1 in every 3 Melbournians were at his funeral. In my opinion he was the greatest Australian of the 1st half of the 20th Century, certainly far more significant than any of our sporting 'heroes' - a term that is too easily applied in my opinion.
O.K. ... I suppose we better go back on topic. However, I'm pleased I asked the question, especially as it is only a week until Remembrance Day.
