Honour Monash - A great Australian

 

 
 
Vale Tim Fischer

 

On 22 August 2019, the driving force behind the Monash for Field Marshal campaign The Hon Tim Fischer AC passed away after a long fight with leukaemia. A fight few knew about, a fight that only became obvious when Tim a dynamo of a person started to decline invitations in early 2018.

Tim served his country as a soldier and a politician, a politician who toward the end of his career all sides of politics revered for his honesty and judgement. Sad that this the posthumous honouring of John Monash with the Military Title of Field Marshal was to be defeated at least in his lifetime by forces of bureaucratic darkness. People without the vision to see what the elevation of a first generation Australian of immigrant heritage can do to unite and give focus to the Australian people in this uncertain world. The challenges of climate change and mind control technologies pale when we recognise what this Australian citizen/soldier and those who he led achieved a century ago.

Jenny and I are deeply saddened by Tim’s passing. Tim Fischer was a big Australian in every sense of the word. Big in stature, big in his belief, big in his passion, big in his vision for what Australians could achieve." The Hon Scott Morrison MP - Prime Minister of Australia 22 August 2019.

From the jungles of Vietnam to the halls of our federal parliament. He often said one of his proudest achievements was securing gun control reform. It is because of that same courage of his convictions that he leaves behind a legacy of a safer Australia. On behalf of all Victorians, we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Judy and everyone who loved him. " The Hon Daniel Andrews MP - Premier of Victoria 22 August 2019.

These details of Tim's Life – in part courtesy Wikipedia:

Tim Fischer was born in Lockhart, New South Wales, of German descent. He attended Xavier College, Melbourne. In 1966 he was conscripted into the Army, was commissioned at the Officer Training Unit, Scheyville and served in the Vietnam War. He was wounded in the Battle of Coral-Balmoral in May and June 1968,

On his return from Vietnam, Tim took up farming at Boree Creek, Riverina, and became active in the Country Party, as the National Party was then called. He represented Sturt in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1971 until 1980, and Murray from 1980 to 84.

In 1984, Tim Fischer won the federal seat of Farrer in New South Wales for the National Party. Within a year he was on the opposition frontbench, and soon became a popular figure in both the party and Parliament. His sometimes rustic manner and bumbling English concealed a shrewd political brain. In 1990, when an attempt by Charles Blunt to modernise the Nationals' image ended with him losing his own seat, Tim Fischer succeeded him as leader.

The Liberals and Nationals regained office under John Howard in 1996. Tim Fischer became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade. He used his strength of character to support the government introducing tough gun control measures following the Port Arthur massacre in April 1996, measures which were opposed by much of his party's rural base.

In 2001, shortly before the expiry of his last parliamentary term, Fischer made public his support for an Australian republic in the future.

As an MP, and later as leader of the Nationals, Tim Fischer often had a rather hectic schedule of visits to various rural National branch meetings, and other relevant functions and gatherings. As a result, he earned the affectionate nickname of "Two-Minute Tim" - often he would arrive, speak to the gathering for a few minutes (ie. the "Two-Minutes"), grab a quick bite to eat while chatting to some of the attendees, then have to head off to the next stop on his schedule.

In 1992, Tim married Judy Brewer, and they had two sons called Dominic and Harrison.

In 1999, he surprised his colleagues by resigning as party leader and as a minister, and by announcing that he would retire at the election due in 2001. His decision to quit politics was motivated partly by the demands of his family, in particular that his son Harrison has autism (Fischer himself claimed to be "high functioning" autistic). After his retirement, he returned to farming at Boree Creek, and became involved in charity work, assisting organisations such as the St Vincent de Paul Society, the Fred Hollows Foundation and Autism New South Wales.

Tim served as chairman of Tourism Australia from 2004 until 2007. He was made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) in 2001. He served as Chairman of the ATSE Crawford Fund supporting international agricultural research from 2001 to 2006. In the 2005 Australia Day Honours Fischer was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), "For service to the Australian and New South Wales Parliaments, to advancing the national interest through trade liberalisation and rail transport development, to supporting humanitarian aid in developing countries and to fostering openness and acceptance of cultural difference in the community."

He was an International Crop Trust (connected to the World Seed Bank) Member and Vice Chair 2013 to 2017, then Chairman 2017 'till 2019, patron National Boer War Memorial Association Fund Raising Committee 2014 to 2017 and patron of Rail Trails NSW.

From 2012 until 2018 Tim was chair to the Reserve Forces Day Council honouring the contribution of Defence Force Reservists to our national security.

In August 2013, following the shooting death of Australian baseball player Christopher Lane in Oklahoma, Tim called for a tourism boycott of the United States to protest the activities of the National Rifle Association and what he felt were overly lax American gun laws.

From 2016 until his passing Tim worked tirelessly for the posthumous award of the Military Title of Field Marshal to the Victor of Amiens and father of modern warfare General Sir John Monash.

In October 2018, Tim was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.


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