Speakola

ARCHIVE: He is one of us ─ Don Watson on Prime Minister Paul Keating’s Eulogy to the Unknown Soldier, Remembrance Day, 1993

Listen on

Episode notes

Tomorrow is ANZAC Day in Australia, our most important day for commemorating and recognising the sacrifice of armed servicemen and women. To coincide, here is a re-release of speechwriter Don Watson's interview about the Paul Keating's 'Eulogy to the Unknown Soldier' delivered at the Canberra War Memorial on Remembrance Day 1993. 

The occasion was the interment of the remains of one Australian solider, dug up from a battlefield on the Western Front.

It is a revered speech in this country, the words are now chiselled into the Australian War Memorial itself and the phrase 'He is all of them, and he is one of us'; was even at the centre of a political stoush in 2013 over whether it should replace Kipling's 'Known Unto God' on the graves of Unknown Soldiers. (Kipling won the day).

This is a shorter episode than the usual Speakola length. If you are interested in Don Watson and his speechwriitng career, the previous episode is much more detailed, and discusses Watson's somewhat broken relationship with the former Prime Minister.

Watson's most recent books are 'There it is Again' (Collected Writings) and The Bush.

The speech is now up on Speakola for the first time with vision thanks to Rhett Bartlett and Rhettrospective. 

Become a free or paid subscriber to the Speakola newsletter. 

Read analysis of this speech in newsletter 

Read the Barry Humphries speech mentioned in the introduction, 'Through the Thin End of an Asparagus Roll', National Press Club, 1978

Make a donation or join the Patreon. 

Please subscribe to the podcast, visit Speakola,  and share any great speeches that are special to you, famous or otherwise. I just need transcript & photo /video embed. Speakola also has Twitter and Facebook feeds.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.