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Sir Eric Winslow Woodward

(1 August 1957 – 31 July 1965)

Ken Turner

Sir Eric Winslow Woodward was the first Governor of New South Wales to have been born there – at Hay on 21 July 1899.1 His grandfather had been a pioneer landowner in the area, while his father, Albert William, was managing a station near Booligal when Eric was born. Before Eric was two, his family moved to southern Queensland where his father again managed properties, first near Charleville, then from 1907 near Clifton on the Darling Downs. Until he was nine, Eric was an outback child, usually shoeless, edu- cated by his mother because schools were so far away. After briefly attending a small State school, he became a pupil at Toowoomba Gram- mar on 31 January 1911. A brother had died shortly before, and his family life was further disrupted by the death of his father on 28 November 1911, his skull fractured by a horse kick. With no compensation or estate, Eric’s mother, Marie Caldwell (née Reid), supported two sons by running a boarding house and later by working as a housekeeper. Hopes for the boys’ future had to be scaled down. At Toowoomba Grammar Eric did well; he played rugby in the firsts, captained the swimming team, and won the Prefects’ Prize along with others for Mathematics, Languages, and General Proficiency. Neverthe- less, he could not afford to take up a career requiring university training. Instead he won a scholarship to the Royal Military College, Duntroon. There was family precedent for this; his great grandfather CW Wall had retired as Lieutenant-Colonel in 1827 after serving as Commanding Offi- cer of The Buffs in New South Wales. The time was also opportune; with the war-time shortage of officers a shortened training course was on offer. Shortly after Eric began his course in 1917, it reverted to the full four years, so that he graduated as Lieutenant on 15 December 1920. His

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WOODWARD nisations. Society, through them, was recognising the value of the cause and of prominent officer holders’ work. When Woodward retired on 31 July 1965, he did not plan to take up other public positions or company directorships. Instead he intended to keep out of the public eye for a few years, not even continuing in voluntary positions in community organisations, in order to clear the path for the new Governor.22 In the event, Woodward died from myo- cardial infarction on 20 December 1967 at Prince Alfred Hospital. He was cremated, after a State funeral with full military honours. He was sur- vived by his wife, daughter and son. Despite his occasional requests, Woodward did not have the oppor- tunity in his military career to be a noted commander in the field. He probably lacked the charisma to be a figure like Montgomery. On the other hand, General Sir Leslie Morshead described him as one of the finest staff officers he had ever known.23 His military record proves his valuable skill at meticulous planning and his determination to apply himself fully in the pursuit of his duty. His performance as Governor was consistent with that. He was not a household name or a star attracting limelight, but a capable, duty-driven man who was remarkably con- scientious in getting on with the job, especially in supporting community service organisations.

Notes

1 His early life and military career are best covered in Sir Edward Woodward’s unpublished biography of his father. A copy is held in the Government House Reference Library. See also Morning Herald, 9.7.1957, p 3; 28.7.1965, p 2; and Bennet, D, “Woodward, Sir Eric Winslow”, Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol 16, MUP, , 2002, pp 583-4. 2 Louis, L “ ‘Operation Alien’ and the Cold War in Australia 1950-1953”, in Labour History, no 62, May 1992, pp 1-18. 3 McKenna, M, The Captive Republic, CUP, Melbourne, 1996, p 216. 4 Morrice, J, “The Last of the British Governors”, unpublished MLitt, UNE, 1993, Appendix 2, Letter from Bethia Ogden (Foott) 15.3.1993, p 79. 5 On Northcott’s stopping this practice, see Chapter 30. 6 Boyce, P, The Queen’s Other Realms: the Crown and its legacy in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, Federation Press, Sydney, 2008, pp 149, 262 (fn 12). 7 I wish to thank Hilary Golder for drawing my attention to this correspondence and for her analysis of these records. SRNSW: The Governor, CGS 4512, Des- patches, Circulars and Cables from the Secretary of State and the Under- Secretary 1787-1971 [12/14 37.1, 1955-61 and 12/1438.1, 1962-69]; SRNSW: The Governor, NRS 4547, Miscellaneous Correspondence [12/2075.1 1951-71 and 12/2076.2 1962-63]. 8 Sydney Morning Herald, 13.3.1962 p 1; 3.9.1962, p 4; 11.9.1962, p 15. 9 Daily Telegraph, 8.9.1962, p 4. 10 SRNSW: The Governor, CGS 4543 including Sir Eric Woodward, Registered Subject Bundles 1957-65. Crown Solicitor 2 January 1962. 11 Sydney Morning Herald, 9.7.1957, p 1.

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12 Sir Edward Woodward’s biography, pp 142, 175. 13 Sir Edward Woodward’s Biography, pp 178, 189. See also the NSW Parlia- mentary Library Newspaper Index for examples. 14 Sir Edward’s biography includes a copy, pp 115-18. 15 SRNSW: NRS 4550, Country Itinerary Files, 1958-64 [12/1456.1]. Includes details of Coonabarabran tour. 16 SRNSW: The Governor, CGS 4543, includes Sir Eric Woodward, Registered Subject Bundles, 1957 – Editor of Grafton Daily Examiner, 27.5.1959. 17 Papers collected by Rosemary Broomham, held in the Government House Reference Library, include biographical notes on Lady Woodward. See also inter- view (by Ita Buttrose), Daily Telegraph, 15.7.1965, p 3. 18 These examples were from the newspaper index of the NSW Parliamentary Library. 19 Daily Telegraph, 14.1.1960, 40. 20 SRNSW: The Governor, NRS4542. Subject Bundles, 1910-81. 21 Sydney Morning Herald, 19.3.1963; Sir Edward’s biography, p 159. 22 Sir Edward’s biography, p 180. 23 Australian War Memorial Research Centre, AWMRC File AWM88, AMF-18/W- X-Y-Z. I would like to thank Mary Pollard of the Australian War Memorial Research Centre for drawing this to my attention.

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