Sir
Ron visited the ETC Site and attended our weekly team meeting on August
20, 2003, renewing his friendship with long standing team members and
meeting the new. Sir Ron was certainly supportive of the research and
community work that we do at the ETC and RADG and expressed his great
pleasure at seeing so many visiting students and researchers from places
as far a field as Mexico, Kenya and Switzerland.
Ronald
Wilson grew up in a country town in Western Australia. He served in
World War II as a pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force, flying Spitfires
in England. Thereafter he entered the legal profession in the service
of the Government of Western Australia.
He
was Solicitor-General for WA from 1969 to 1979, and a Justice of the
High Court of Australia from 1979 to 1989. He was Chancellor of Murdoch
University from 1980 to 1995, President of the National Human Rights
and Equal Opportunity Commission from 1990 to 1997, Deputy Chairperson
of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation from 1991 to 1994, and
President of the Australian Council for Overseas Aid from 1997.
In
his role as President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission,
Sir Ronald shared with Mick Dodson, the Aboriginal Social Justice Commissioner,
the leadership of the National Inquiry into the forced removal of Aboriginal
children from their families and communities.
He
co-authored the best-selling report of the Inquiry Bringing Them Home.
A keen ecumenist, Sir Ronald has been active in church and inter-faith
affairs. He was national President of the Uniting Church from 1988
to 1991 and President of the Australian Chapter of the World Conference
on Religion and Peace from 1991 to 1995.
Sir
Ronald was awarded the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St
George 1978 for services to the community. In 1979 he was made a Knight
of the Order of the British Empire for services to the law. In 1988,
he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia for his services
to the law.
Sir
Ron's work at Murdoch has included supporting the (CRCC) Centre for
Research in Culture & Communication's Boat People Symposium (1996)
and helping establish the two very successful Louis Johnson Memorial
Trust Fellowships, held by Dr Steve Mickler and Dr Anna Haebich. Sir
Ron's commitment to Murdoch University has continued well beyond his
role as the Chancellor. To all he meets Sir Ron extends the true hand
of friendship.
Ronald
Darling Wilson AC KBE CMG QC LL.B, Hon. LL.D (UWA); LL.M (Penn USA);
Hon D.Ed (Keimyung Korea); Hon. D.Lett (UTS, Sydney); Hon. D.Univ (Murdoch).
One of Australia's true gentlemen.
