Former Australian Prime Minister and Labor leader, Bob Hawke has passed away aged 89.
“Today we lost Bob Hawke, a great Australian – many would say the greatest Australian of the post-war era,” his wife Blanche d’Alpuget said in a statement.
She added, “Bob was dearly loved by his family, and so many friends and colleagues. We will miss him.
“The golden bowl is broken.”
Mr Hawke was the leader of his party from 1983 to 1991 and was the longest-serving Labor Prime Minister in Australian history.
Current Labor leader Bill Shorten released his own statement on Thursday evening.
“In Australian history, in Australian politics, there will always be B.H. and A.H: Before Hawke and After Hawke. After Hawke, we were a different country. A kinder, better, bigger and bolder country,” Mr Shorten said.
“The Australian people loved Bob Hawke because they knew Bob loved them, this was true to the very end.
“At our Labor launch I told Bob we loved him, I promised we would win for him. I said the same to him the next day at his home, when I visited.
“The Sydney sun was out, that famous silver mane, now snow-white. Cigar in hand, strawberry milkshake on the table, the hefty bulk of his dictionary holding down the day’s cryptic crossword.
“I gave the man who inspired me to go into politics a gentle hug, I tried to tell him what he meant to me, what he meant to all of us. I couldn’t quite find the right words, few of us can, when we’re face-to-face with our heroes.
“Blanche is in our hearts today, so too are Bob’s children, Sue, Stephen, Rosslyn, his stepson Louis and his grandchildren.”
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