Introduction

I acknowledge the First Australians on whose land we meet, and whose cultures we celebrate as among the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We are honoured to have Sir Zelman here with us tonight.

I thought he may have declared a year of mourning after
St Kilda’s loss on Saturday.

Very few know the keen interest Sir Zelman took in the 1966 Premiership.

He just happened to have a young man by the name of
Brian Sierakowski [Zeer-a-kow-ski] as one of his students
at the Uni of Melbourne that year.

Brian was a ruckman and defender for the Saints.

Sir Zelman called him into his office just a few days before
the Grand Final and said: “This game is very important to
me Brian”.

To which a slightly perplexed Brian replied: “It’s important to
me too sir.”

St Kilda won their only premiership that year. 

By a single point.

And young Sierakowski [Zeer-a-kow-ski] was said to have played like a man possessed – perhaps mindful that his mentor was watching.

So tonight, although we offer you birthday salutations, Sir Zelman, we also offer you commiserations for your beloved St Kilda.

Sir Zelman Cowen

Where do you start with a man such as this?

To describe him as scholar, teacher, author, vice chancellor or Governor-General belies the depth of his life and character.

Sir Zelman Cowen has been described as an ‘astonishing citizen’.

A man who ‘looks outside himself’.

And a man who can’t say no to a good cause.

But who has inspired the man who has provided inspiration to
so many?

As far as the law goes, he makes no secret of his admiration for Erwin Griswold, former Solicitor-General of the United States and Dean of Harvard Law School for 21 years.

He also holds the immortal Lord Denning in high esteem.

A man who, though at times controversial, was called ‘the people’s judge’.

A man who didn’t let precedent dictate an outcome if it interfered with justice being done – though had the agency and insight of the man on the Clapham omnibus.

But when Sir Zelman was asked to name the most brilliant mind he knew he said, without hesitation, 20 th Century philosopher and writer Isaiah Berlin.

Sir Zelman, also in the tradition of Isaiah Berlin, is a man who has contributed immeasurably to the intellectual rigour of a nation.

A Rhodes Scholar.

Dean of Law at Melbourne University.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of New England and University of Queensland.

Just as a side note, I assure you Sir Zelman, my decision to turn down a place at the Uni of Queensland in 1975 had nothing to do with you.

It had everything to do with fleeing the embrace of Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s Queensland.

Sir Zelman is also a proud Australian who is equally proud of his Jewish heritage.

He is a passionate lover of music and patron of the arts.

But beyond all these things is his sense of humanity.

Governor-General

Sir Zelman’s warmth; His humility; His integrity;

And his compassion are the overwhelming themes of his life.
The overwhelming themes of people in recounting his life.
These qualities were on full display during his time as Governor-General.

Ten years after the publication of his biography of Sir Isaac Isaacs, the first Australian-born and the first Jewish Governor-General, Sir Zelman was appointed to the position.

Although, I’m advised that Sir Zelman trumped Sir Isaac when a young Ben Cowen celebrated the first Bar Mitzvah to be held at Yarralumla.

This says something truly wonderful about Australia.

Sir Zelman sought to bring “a touch of healing” to a nation divided after the tumultuous tenure of his predecessor.

I think the measure of his success in this regard can be summed up in one stark example.

Just after the 1977 election, two days after he was sworn in as Governor-General, Sir Zelman invited Gough Whitlam to visit him.

And Gough accepted.   A simple gesture, on the part of both men, that signalled it was time for the healing to begin.

The two men had what Sir Zelman describes as an “amiable talk, much about the Latin poet Horace”. Sir Zelman did not shy away from what had gone before.

As Horace himself wrote:

“It is the false shame of fools to try to conceal wounds that have not healed”.

Sir Zelman acknowledged the wounds and then went about fulfilling the role of Governor-General as he has done with the rest of his life – with great dignity.

It was a role that Sir Zelman says afforded him “the greatest experience” of his life.To those who perceived the role as “cutting ribbons and uttering generalities”, he said:

I believe that the Governor-Generalinterprets the nation to itself by offering encouragement and recognition to many Australians – some of whom are not very powerful or visible in the bustle of everyday life – and to the efforts of individuals and groups who work constructively to improve life in Australia.”

Sir Zelman interpreted our nation to us with great pride, clarity and conscience.

Leadership

Sir Zelman will, of course, always be counted amongst the great intellects of our country.

The students he has mentored over the years – captains of industry, politicians and lawyers – are testament to the generosity with which this man shared his knowledge.

It was remarked at his 80 th birthday party that his protégés “recall with gratitude the part Sir Zelman played not in shaping them, but in helping them shape themselves”.

There is a rich generosity of spirit in mentoring the leaders of tomorrow.

The time, the effort, the energy.

And not in the pursuit of self but in the support and formation of others.

He has helped inculcate a notion of leadership as a public service – not just a political career.

We live in a world of Twitter - and yes I admit, I Tweet.

A world of YouTube and the 24 hour media cycle.

We are no longer a society of letter writers.

And despite my best efforts to bring back the humble art of the essay, key messages these days are more often placed on an autocue than a 10-page spread.

Sir Zelman, I’m advised that you judged your speeches to be the most important element of your work.

That they allowed you to express your dedication to, and interest in the affairs, the concerns and the problems of all Australians.

Again, there is much wisdom in taking time and space to reflect on the wider narratives of our national life.

Australian-Israel Relations

Sir Zelman was born in St Kilda, to a Russian immigrant father and a mother whose parents were born in Russia.

His first trip to Jerusalem in 1958 was the beginning of a relationship of more than half a century.

The Australian Jewish community has benefited markedly from the relationships and mutual understanding Sir Zelman has fostered.

Australia and Israel share warm and close relations in academia, in medicine, in the arts and in commerce – and of course between our two peoples and nations.

All enhanced by Sir Zelman’s leadership, particularly through his time on the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  

Here at home, he has been a dynamic and active member of the Jewish Community.

And a man who epitomises public service – to the Australian community as a whole.

A proud Australian, a proud Jewish Australian.

Zelman Cowen Gallery

So how do we best mark the 90 th birthday of such a remarkable Australian?

Of course, we attend dinners like this one, which is being hosted by the Jewish Museum of Australia.

And we embrace the Museum’s ambitious project to refurbish the gallery at the heart of the Museum, and rename it the Zelman Cowen Gallery of Australian Jewish History.

This is a truly worthwhile cultural project.

I understand the Jewish Museum of Australia is planning to raise $1.5 million from a range of sources to bring this project to life.

And tonight I am delighted to announce that the Australian Government will invest $200,000 in making this project a reality.

I hope that our contribution will encourage the Jewish and Australian communities, the corporate, legal and philanthropic sectors and the State Government to also support the Zelman Cowen Gallery of Australian Jewish History.

Conclusion

Of course you cannot speak about Sir Zelman without speaking about Anna, his wife of 64 years.

He attributes much of his success to her unwavering support.

So we thank you Anna, and the Cowen children – Simon, Yossi [pronounced Yos-see], Kate and Ben - for ‘lending’ us your husband and father.

We celebrate tonight the life of a man always destined for great things.

From the little boy whose mother was so determined that he become a King’s Counsel that she called him Zelman Cowen, K.C.

...which I’m advised caused a good deal of confusion when
Mrs Cowen’s little boy began introducing himself as ‘Casey’...

To the great man we honour tonight.

Isaiah Berlin, the man Sir Zelman admires, often quoted 19th century Russian philosopher Alexander Herzen:

“There is no song before it is sung – so, there is no human life until it is lived”.

In his 90 years, Sir Zelman Cowen has lived many lifetimes.

All of them honourable.

All of them of service.

So Sir Zelman, on behalf of a grateful Australian nation, I wish you a very happy 90th birthday.