Richard William Brian Harradine (1935 - 2014)

Richard William Brian (known as Brian) Harradine was born of 9 January 1935 at Quorn, South Australia, Australia ^[2][1], the 3rd son of Ralph Harradine and Annie Mary Gleeson and his siblings were Peter Harradine, James (Jim) Harradine, John Harradine, Mary Ann Harradine, Joan Theresa Michelle Harradine, Ann Harradine and Helen Harradine.

There was a wonderful family photo printed in the The Family Circle - FAMILY PHOTO No. 170. - Southern Cross Publication on 23 April 1954, with Ralph and Annie May Harradine, and their children, Peter, James, Ann, Mr Harradine, Helen, Mrs Harradine, Joan, Brian, Mary Ann and John named from left to right ^[3].

Family Photo.

As a child, Brian was an active member of the Children's Page which was part of the Children's section of the Roman Catholic Publication, Southern Cross. He was 6 yrs old when he joined, and from his little letters we learn that he had three brothers and two sisters over a period of five years. The letters give insight into the heart of a child who was to become an part of Australian and Tasmanian history, a deeply religious child who became a great man who was devoted to his God and his Faith. In these letters he mentions having three brothers and a sister,^[4], then a year later he has a new baby sister Joan Theresa Michelle ^[5]. In 1943, he is now eight and a half years old and that baby Joan is now 10 months old and pulling herself up on furniture. ^[6]. In 1944, we learn that his brother Jim was going for Progress Certificate making him to be in Year 7 at school, so he would be aged about 12 years old and that John was home from the Seminary, so it can be assumed that John had gone to the yearly camp which was held at the Catholic Seminary in Glen Osmond which was held by the Brothers^[7]. By 1945, Brian is 10 years old and, his mother's uncle W Ryan had passed away on died 28 January 1945^[2].

Brian had mentioned an Uncle in a couple of his letters. Once that he was sick and the other that their "'old' Uncle (Mr Ryan)" had died. It is interesting to note that when his parent's Ralph & Annie were married, Annie was given away by her Uncle (Mr W Ryan) as her father had died previous to the wedding.

Young Brian's letters helped clarify his family links to the Gleeson and Ryan family as well as to his parents and grandparents who were mentioned in article about his Parent's Wedding in the Catholic Publication The Southern Cross, Adelaide
WEDDING BELLS. HARRADINE—GLEESON:
"The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Quorn, was the scene of a very pretty wedding on November 27th, when the marriage was celebrated of Ralph, third son of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Harradine, of Quorn, and Annie M., fourth daughter of Mrs. and the late Mr. R. J. Gleeson, of Nile Street, Glenelg. The Church was beautifully decorated by the girlfriends of the bride. Nuptial Mass was celebrated by Rev. Father Culiinan (Burra). The choir rendered a Unison Mass, and the, "Ave Maria" was sweetly sung by Miss Dawn Reid, assisted by Mr. H. Rhodes, who played the violin obbligato. The bride, who was given away by her uncle (Mr. W. Ryan) was daintily frocked, in ivory satin romaine. A full flared skirt was draped to the left side, and caught with a large bow, forming an uneven hemline. The bodice was embroidered in Cornelli. Her tulle veil (kindly lent by Mrs. Doyle, of Adelaide) was arranged cap fashion with a coronet of orange blossom, and formed a, train. It was embroidered with true lovers' knots. She carried a sheaf of Christmas lillies. Miss Myrtle Harradine (sister of the bridegroom) was bridesmaid ^[8]

As a child, Brian was also a skilled musician and loved his music. He received honours in his music exam as reported in the PERSONAL AND OTHER PARS - Border Chronicle (Bordertown, SA: 1908 - 1950) - on 3 Nov 1944.

Very little is known about his life as a teenager and as a young man, but it is known from the description under the Family Photograph that he had joined the Monastry, at the Passionist Monastery at Glen Osmond, South Australia, Australia and was known as Rev. Brother Fabian, C.P. ^[3]

Two of Brian's Harradine Uncles and his Grandfather worked on the Railways and in an interview on ABC Sunday Night Stories: Sunday Nights With John Cleary he said, "You see, my first job was on The Ghan Railway. My grandfather was the waterman at The Fink on The Ghan track, and my first job was on the east-west line to Kalgoorlie and back, and The Ghan up to Alice Springs and back. We parted company when I was a conductor on the train, when I let passengers off at Anna Creek instead of William Creek, at a siding, and they had to wait for the southbound in an inhospitable area. So we parted company. And I went to the PMG’s Department, which is ironic, because it was the Engineering Division thereof, which ended up as Telstra. ^[9].

In 1959 he left the PMG (Engineering Division) and went to Hobart, Tasmania, as a union (secretary) organizer with the Federated Clerk’s Union, living with Mick Noonan's family. He joined the Australian Labour Party (ALP) in 1961.

In about 1960, his sister Mary Bernadette joined The Order of Sisters of St, Joseph's of the Sacred Heart at Blythewood Road, Mitcham, South Australia, Australia and was known as Sr. Mary Antonia R.S.J. until her death in 1972.

Brian Harradine married his first wife, Barbara Ward in 1962 and they were to have six children: Bede, Gemma, Mary, Richard, David and Ann ^[10].

In 1964 he was elected secretary of the Tasmanian Trades and Labor Council and to the ACTU executive, serving the latter for 12 years. He was a member of the ALP Federal Executive from 1968 to 1975 but was then "expelled for claiming the ALP had links to the communist movement. However, this gave him the publicity to ... [stand as an Independent and] ... be elected to the Senate that year and he was successful in every election until he retired in 2005"^[11].

His wife Barbara died on 5 May 1980 in Hobart, leaving Brian with six young children ^[12].

Brian married Marian Ansgaria (van den Bosch) Sheehan, a widow who had seven children when they married on Sunday, 11 April 1982 in the St John's Roman Catholic Church at Glenorchy, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The following was published on Page 3 of the The Canberra Times on Tuesday, 13 April 1982:
Senator becomes father to 13 HOBART:
Tasmanian Independent Senator Brian Harradine and the former Mrs Marian Sheehan who were married on Sunday have a "super family" of 15.
Their marriage at St John's Roman Catholic Church at Glenorchy in Hobart brought to gether 13 children — six Harradines and seven Sheehans — aged from six to 19. After nuptial Mass celebrated by three priests and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Hobart, Sir Guilford Young, the new family attended a reception at Laetare Gardens.
Senator Harradine, 47, a widower, and his wife, 37, a widow, had been family friends for many years before becoming engaged last month.
They admit their large family will cause a few problems, but Senator Harradine said they would work them out together — and have a lot of fun. The couple plan to build extensions to Mrs Harradine's home at Montrose to enable all the family to live comfortably under one roof.^{[13][14] [15]}.

As an intensely devout Catholic, he was always anti-abortion and anti-pornography, also opposing same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research ^[1]. He listed his greatest achievements as the cash deal for Tasmania that came as part of the partial sale of Telstra, and brokering the Wik native title agreement to avoid a ‘race-based election’ ^[16]. However, the issue of a ‘race-based election’ in Prime Minster Howard's day is still used as an excuse by recent Prime Ministers for preventing the people from having their say in giving the First Peoples their rights. When it came to Aboriginal rights Brian Harradine had given them considerable hope of progress in 1993 but when holding the casting vote in 1998 he ensured the defeat of Wik, which Noel Pearson described as: "Brian Harradine’s betrayal in the Senate in 1998 – advised by [Catholic] Frank Brennan and Catholic lawyers intent upon saving blackfellas from a “race election”"^[17]. Pearson mentions Prime Minister Turnbull's "rejection of the Uluru Statement from the Heart", in the same context. On the other hand Brian Harradine championed the rights and independence of the far away Baltic states.

He was surely aware that a descendant of his Great Granduncle, Frederick Harradine, who like his Great Grandfather Samuel Harradine was baptised in the Church of England, had married into the Aboriginal world! All this was subordinated to the influence the Catholic Church had on Brian from a very early age. As Frank Brennan was to write: “Paul Keating, who had done a fabulous job delivering the 1993 Native Title Act, was to say: 'As a Catholic, let me say, whenever you witness the zealotry of professional Catholics in respect of Indigenous issues, invariably you find Indigenous interests subordinated to their personal notions of justice and equity: because unlike the rest of us, they enjoy some kind of divine guidance.' ^[18].

Many eulogies have been given for Richard William Brian Harradine, who suffered several strokes in his last few years, in the media and the Tasmanian and Federal Parliaments. He had always been a caring family man but had to spend much time away from the family on parliamentary duties, until he retired due to ill health in 2005. He died on 20 April 2014 at his home in Hobart, ^[16] in his adopted State of Tasmania.

To View Photo taken June 21, 2005 of Brian Harradine with 12 of his children and one grandchild, click on this link. "DETAILS": Restrictions: Contact your local office for all commercial or promotional uses.(AUSTRALIA OUT) Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald / Contributor Editorial #: 539551233 Collection: Fairfax Media Date created: June 21, 2005 License type: Rights-managed Release info: Not released. More information Source: Fairfax Media Barcode: 2874948 Object name: FXJ137807 Max file size: 2788 x 1967 px (9.29 x 6.56 in) - 300 dpi - 2 MB

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia: Brian Harradine:
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} 1945 CHILDREN'S PAGE: CHILDREN'S PAGE - Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954) - 23 Feb 1945 10 years old on 9 Jan. old uncle (Mr Ryan) died 28 Jan (1945), mentions brother John again
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} The Family Circle - FAMILY PHOTO No. 170. - Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954) - 23 April 1954: on 23 April 1954. MR. AND MRS. R. HARRADINE AND FAMILY, OF PAYNEHAM. From left: Peter, James, Ann, Mr. Harradine, Helen, Mrs. Harradine, Joan, Brian, Mary and John. Peter is at the Passionist College, St. Ives, Sydney. Brian is now Rev. Brother Fabian, C.P., Passionist Monastery, Glen Osmond. Before marriage, Mrs. Harradine was Miss Annie Gleeson.
4. ↑ 1941 CHILDREN'S PAGE: Children's Page Patroness St Therese of Lisieux:Friday 24 January 1941:
5. ↑ 1942 CHILDREN'S PAGE: CHILDREN'S PAGE.... - Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954) - 27 Nov 1942: A new Baby Sister: Joan Theresa Michelle
6. ↑ 1943 CHILDREN'S PAGE: Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA: 1889 - 1954) Fri 13 Aug 1943 Page 10 Children's Page Patroness St Therese of Lisieux: He is 8 & half, has two sisters and three brothers. Baby Joan 10 mths, mentions Jim & John
7. ↑ 1944 CHILDREN'S PAGE: Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA: 1889 - 1954) Fri 24 Nov 1944 Page 11 CHILDREN'S PAGE: Brothers; Jim (going for Progress Certificate so in Yr7 so about 12/13) & John (home from Seminary), & 2 little sisters Mary & Joan.
8. ↑ Parent's Wedding-Excerpt: Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA: 1889 - 1954) Fri 24 Jan 1930 Page 8 Family Notices: WEDDING BELLS. HARRADINE—GLEESON:
9. ↑ Interview: ABC Sunday Night Stories: Sunday Nights With John Cleary 18/07/2004 Feature Interview: Senator Brian Harradine: Excerpt from Interview:
10. ↑ Condolences: THE SENATE CONDOLENCES Harradine, Mr Richard William Brian: SPEECH Tuesday, 13 May 2014
11. ↑ Obituary: The Age April 15, 2014 — 1.45pm BRIAN HARRADINE, 1935-2014: Brian Harradine was a people's advocate with strong beliefs]
12. ↑ Death of Wife: Barbara Harradine: Parliament of Australia: The PRESIDENT - It is with deep regret that I inform the Senate of the death on 5 May 1980 of Mrs Barbara Harradine, wife of Senator Brian Harradine. On behalf of all honourable senators I extend to you, Senator Harradine, and your family our sincere sympathy.
13. ↑ Marriage: The Canberra Times (ACT: 1926 - 1995) Tue 13 Apr 1982 Page 3
14. ↑ Marriages: CHRIS SHEEHAN - GENEALOGIST: Sheehan Genealogy Citing: Marian Ansgaria VAN DEN BOSCH (09 Apr 1944): Marian remarried Brian HARRADINE
15. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald (June 30, 2004 — 12.55am) Brian Harradine, man of honour: Family man: Born Richard William Brian Harradine on 9 January 1935 at Quorn, South Australia. His wife Barbara died in 1980 after 18 years of marriage, leaving behind Brian and their six children. He married Marian, a widow with seven children, in 1982. He and Marian now have 27 grandchildren. Marian and Brian Harradine share a love of bushwalking and have walked in most areas of Tasmania.
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Death of Senator Harradine: Brian Harradine, Australia's longest-serving independent senator, dies in Tasmania aged 79: Citing: his wife, Marian
17. ↑ Betrayal : The Monthly (DECEMBER 2017 – JANUARY 2018): Howardism needed to be stopped from taking hold of the nation. It was not, and Howard’s prime ministership went on to define this country in the 20 years since. In the wake of the defeat of Wik, with Brian Harradine’s betrayal in the Senate in 1998 – advised by Frank Brennan and Catholic lawyers intent upon saving blackfellas from a “race election” – Beazley’s defeat left only deep despair.
18. ↑ Eureka Street Publication (16 April 2014) by Frank Brennan : Keating was on to something when he spoke of Indigenous interests and notions of justice and equity. But personal notions of justice and equity do not count for much in the public square of a pluralist democracy like Australia unless those notions can be rendered comprehensible and adoptable by other citizens who do not share your religious or philosophical world view. Harradine understood this very well. He was assuredly a very canny politician. But I never knew him to claim any sort of divine guidance when making a political decision.
    History vindicated Harradine's political judgment in the Wik debate. Not even Keating has ever seriously suggested that Kim Beazley's chances of winning the 1998 election would have been enhanced by leaving Wik unresolved. If Wik had not been resolved prior to the re-election of the Howard Government in 1998, Howard would have told Harradine after the election that all deals were off.