![Donald Horne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Donald_Horne.jpg)
Donald Richmond Horne (26 December 1921 – 8 September 2005) was an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
,
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
,
social critic
Social criticism is a form of academic or journalistic criticism focusing on social issues in contemporary society, in particular with respect to perceived injustices and power relations in general.
Social criticism of the Enlightenment
The orig ...
, and
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
who became one of Australia's best known
public intellectual
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...
s, from the 1960s until his death.
Horne was a prolific
author who published four novels and more than twenty volumes of history, memoir and political and cultural analysis. He also edited ''
The Bulletin'', ''The Observer'' and
''Quadrant''. His best known work was ''
The Lucky Country
''The Lucky Country'' is a 1964 book by Donald Horne. The title has become a nickname for Australia and is generally used favourably, although the origin of the phrase was negative in the context of the book. Among other things, it has been use ...
'' (1964), an evaluation of Australian society that questioned many traditional attitudes: "Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck."
Background and early years
Donald Horne's early life was recounted in the first volume of his memoirs ''The Education of Young Donald'' (1967). He was born in
Kogarah, New South Wales
Kogarah () is a suburb of Southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres (9 miles) south-west of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area.
L ...
and raised in
Muswellbrook
Muswellbrook ( ) is a town in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle.
Geologically, Muswellbrook is situated in the northern parts of the Sydney basin, bordering the New Englan ...
(where his father was a teacher at the local school) and Sydney.
[ He enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts at the ]University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
in 1939, but his studies were interrupted by war service. He later attended Canberra University College
Canberra University College was a tertiary education institution established in Canberra by the Australian government and the University of Melbourne in 1930. At first it operated in the Telopea Park School premises after hours. Most of the initi ...
at the Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
, to train as a diplomat. He moved back to Sydney in 1945 without completing his studies. Instead, he wrote for the ''Daily Telegraph'' and other Packer media. Despite never completing an undergraduate degree, in 1973 he was offered a research fellow
A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...
ship in Political Science with the Faculty of Arts by the University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
. He held several academic positions there for the next fifteen years.
Career
Horne began his career in journalism and worked for a number of Frank Packer
Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer (3 December 19061 May 1974), was an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network. He was a patriarch of the Packer family.
Early life
Frank Packer was born in K ...
's publications, first as a journalist for ''The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'', then editor of the magazine ''Weekend'', and later the fortnightly intellectual periodical ''The Observer'' (1958–61). As editor of the flagship magazine '' The Bulletin'' (1961–62 and 1967–72), he removed the magazine's long standing motto "Australia for the White Man". He was co-editor of '' Quadrant'' magazine (1964–66).[
Appointed as a ]Senior Research Fellow
A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for Academic rank, academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the super ...
at the University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
in 1973, Horne was promoted as a professor of political science in 1984, a member of the University Council between 1983–1986 and Chairman of the Faculty of Arts between 1982 and 1986, retiring as Emeritus Professor
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
.[ Between 1992 and 1995, Horne served as ]Chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
of the University of Canberra
The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...
.
He also worked on writing, arts and citizenship boards and was an executive member of the Australian Constitutional Commission.[ He was Chairman of the Australia Council from 1985-1990.
Despite initial conservative views,][ he was unorthodox and independent-minded, without a consistent political allegiance. He was, however, known through much of his public career for his ]republicanism
Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...
, a more independent national self-image, his advocacy for the importance of the arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
, and a raising in standards of public debate
:''for debate among the public, see Public sphere''
Public debate may mean simply debating by the public, or in public. The term is also used for a particular formal style of debate in a competitive or educational context. Two teams of two compe ...
.
He was still giving media interviews up to the last year of his life, when he died as a result of pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failu ...
after a long illness.[ His wife and editor, Myfanwy Horne (the daughter of journalist Ross Gollan), later completed his part-written manuscript, published as ''Dying: a memoir'' in 2007.
]
Honours and legacy
In 1982, Professor Horne was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
for service to literature; and in 2001 was presented with the Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...
for service to the Centenary of Federation celebrations in New South Wales.
He was named as one of Australia's Living National Treasures in 1997, the year of the list's inauguration, by the National Trust.[National Living Treasures – Current List, Deceased, Formerly Listed]
National Trust of Australia (NSW), 22 August 2014
Horne was conferred with degrees ''honoris causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
'' by a number of Australian academic institutions, including Griffith University
Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian s ...
(Doctor of the University), University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
(Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
), University of Canberra
The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...
(Doctor of the University), the Australian Academy of the Humanities
The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australia ...
(Fellow), and the University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
(Honorary Doctorate: 2005).[
In 2002 he was the recipient of the Australian Humanist of the Year award for his strong advocacy of ]liberal democracy
Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into diff ...
, multiculturalism
The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "Pluralism (political theory), ethnic pluralism", with the tw ...
, tolerance, republicanism
Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...
and the recognition of indigenes as Australia’s first people.[cite web, https://vichumanist.org.au/australian-humanist-awards/ahoy-2000-2020/]
In 2008, the University of Canberra announced the establishment of the Donald Horne Institute for Cultural Heritage.
In 2016, ''The Saturday Paper
''The Saturday Paper'' is an Australian weekly newspaper, launched on 1 March 2014 in hard copy, as an online newspaper and in mobile news format. The paper is circulated throughout Australian capital cities and major regional centres. Since i ...
'' and Aēsop jointly announced the creation of the Horne Prize
The Horne Prize is an Australian award established by Aēsop and ''The Saturday Paper'' in 2016 for a literary essay of up to 3000 words on Australian life. The prize is valued at $15,000 (Australian) and named in honour of Donald Horne (1921– ...
for essay writing.
In 2017 La Trobe University Press published ''Donald Horne: Selected Writings'', edited by his son Nick.
Selected bibliography
Social commentary
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References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Horne, Donald
1921 births
2005 deaths
20th-century Australian historians
20th-century Australian journalists
20th-century Australian novelists
20th-century Australian economists
20th-century essayists
20th-century memoirists
21st-century Australian historians
21st-century Australian journalists
21st-century essayists
21st-century memoirists
Australian activists
Australian autobiographers
Australian essayists
Australian humanists
Australian magazine editors
Australian male non-fiction writers
Australian male novelists
Australian memoirists
Australian political writers
Australian republicans
Australian social commentators
Australian travel writers
Chancellors of the University of Canberra
Cultural critics
Deaths from pulmonary fibrosis
Mass media theorists
Media critics
Social critics
University of New South Wales faculty
University of Sydney alumni
Writers about activism and social change