History Mystery Monday: Who was Maurice Blackburn?

You may be familiar with the name Maurice Blackburn, but who was he, and what was his connection to Moonee Valley?

Maurice Blackburn, c.1910-1930, courtesy of National Library of Australia

Well, to give you an idea of the character of the man- Robert Menzies, former Prime Minister of Australia, once said Blackburn “brought into public life a rare character, complete indifference to personal consequences, an uncommon scholarship, great zeal for humanity, and a firm belief, which I am happy to share, that men are immeasurably more important than laws.”

Another former Prime Minister, John Curtin, stated that Blackburn- “served the people who suffered injustice … He pleaded their cause, and he engaged in the study of how best he could serve them … He would allow nothing to turn him from what he considered to be the right, and however unpopular he might become, however discomforting his attitude might be to his colleagues, the divine monitor within him impelled him to stand for what in his soul he believed.”

Intrigued? Need to find out more about this fascinating character in our local political history? Well, you won’t find any answers here today, but…

Join Moonee Valley Libraries online as we hear from bestselling and prize-winning biographer and historian David Day, who will discuss his latest biography on Maurice Blackburn and satisfy all your curiosities about the book’s subject!

The event is happening next Monday November 16th at 7pm on Zoom- register here to book your spot.


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