Childhood home of Australia’s only South Australian-born PM, Bob Hawke, to be protected

Labor heavyweight Bob Hawke’s childhood home to be preserved with $750,000 pledge.

Former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke’s childhood home, in South Australia’s Bordertown, will be preserved following a $750,000 commitment from the Australian Government.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will today announce the commitment.

It will match a pledge made by Bill Shorten during the May Election campaign.

“Bob Hawke made an extraordinary contribution to Australian life and holds a special place in the hearts of Australians,” Mr Morrison told the Sunday Mail.

“Australians loved him and he loved them back.

“Every Australian felt connected to him, regardless of their politics, a

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke's childhood home in Bordertown, South Australia.

nd he was big enough that we entitled an era after him - the Hawke era.

“His childhood home is a significant part of our national story and preserving it will enable current and future generations to celebrate his life, achievements and substantial role in our democratic history.”

The three-bedroom, one-bathroom Hawke House that in May was on the market for $295,000 has been up for sale since 2015.

Labor had pledged to turn the home into a museum.

However, the Coalition will work with the local Bordertown community, National Trust of South Australia and the National Heritage Trust to establish the best use of the property.

Barker MP Tony Pasin said the acquisition presents an amazing opportunity for the community of Bordertown to create an iconic facility that will celebrate Hawke’s life and educate visitors regarding the significant role he played in the formation of post war Australia.

“Very few Australian’s readily associate Bob Hawke with Bordertwon or indeed South Australia despite the formative role the state and town played in his life.”

Mr Hawke as a baby in a tin bath in the backyard of his Bordertown home. Hawke Family Archive.

The funding will be used to protect the property’s heritage value and commemorate Hawke’s life and achievements.

Hawke, who died peacefully at his Sydney home two days before the May 18 federal election, aged 89, was born in 1929 at the Bordertown property.

Hawke House will add to the homes of former Prime Ministers already preserved for the nation, including Ben Chifley’s home in Bathurst, New South Wales; John Curtin’s home in Cottesloe, Western Australia; and Joe and Enid Lyons’s family homes in Stanley and Devonport, Tasmania.

The Coalition will also provide $5 million to the existing endowment fund of The General Sir John Monash Foundation to create an annual scholarship known as the Bob Hawke John Monash Scholar.

The Scholars, chosen by the Foundation, will study in any field deemed in the interests of the nation.

The aim will be to support, for up to three years, talented young Australians with ability and leadership potential to develop their skills at leading overseas universities.

Originally published as Childhood home of Australia’s only South Australian-born PM, Bob Hawke, to be protected