Revered former prime minister John Curtin is lucky he was gone before scholar James Prior got onto him.
Dr Prior’s doctorate, with which he graduated from the University of Wollongong (UOW) on Wednesday April 27, argues it’s an error to give Curtin the credit for establishing the Australian-US relationship.
At 85, Dr Prior is the oldest graduate from the university, but he isn’t just finishing his degree for the heck of it – oh no.
“He gets much admiration for aspects of the Australian-American relationship which he doesn’t deserve,” Dr Prior said. “There’s a lot of myths.”
He said anyone attempting a PhD needed to understand “you’ve got to dedicate your life to it”.
Dr Prior’s wife Jan and his four children agreed, having supported him through what had been “an obsession”.
When Dr Prior left school at age 14, a tertiary education was only a dream as he could not afford to go to university.
So then came a career in public service, and in freelance journalism before retiring at age 77.
It was after he enrolled in a bachelor of arts degree in communications, that the idea of further study sprouted.
For six years, Dr Prior worked on his thesis on Curtin, with the assistance of a university supervisor.
“I’m a history buff, and this became my whole life,” he said.
“I lived through the Curtin period, when he was regarded a national hero and one of Australia’s greatest prime ministers.
“My studies revealed, quite controversially, that he did not achieve as much he was attributed to achieve.”
Dr Prior hopes to have his thesis published.
“At my age I could be subject to dementia or just bloody old age,” he said.
“When I started I didn’t know how to use a computer.
“But I took it on and enjoyed it immensely.”