Fifty years ago, as a young press photographer, I photographedGough Whitlamthe day after the infamoussackingof the Whitlam Government an occasionnow referred to asthe "Dismissal".
My image capturesWhitlam, shellshocked, after his progressive Labor Government was controversiallyripped awayon 11 November 1975 by Australia's Governor-General of the day, SirJohn Kerr.
One thing I have learned in my 50 years as a photojournalist is that photographs grow in power over time. In 1975, that image wasfront-page worthy and rightfully so; however, as the years passed, it became an increasingly powerful historical document.
Bythe turn of the 21st Century, this photo perfectlyrecalledone of themost contentious moments in Australias political history.When, in 2010,it was acquired by theNational Portrait Galleryin Canberra, the portrait gained even greater potency.
And when the great man passed away in 2014 at the age of 98, theimage grew in power once more.
It does so again as the50th anniversaryof the Dismissalapproaches.
Bill McAuley's 40-plus-year news career began in 1969 as a cadet photographer at 'The Age' in Melbourne.
He has several publishedcollections, including 'Portraits of the Soul: A lifetime of images with Bill McAuley' and'Last light on Victoria Dock, 1999'. To see more from Bill, clickhere.
Related Articles
- Australian original flaming spirit, Vali Myers
- When Gough was 'shot' at Oktoberfest
- 'Horsing around' in Melbourne springtime
- A tight finish: Triathletes put it all on the line
- Lionel Rose a champion revealed
