Two In The Think Tank - 108 - Harold Holt: The Disappearing Prime Minister

Episode Date: November 15, 2017

Harold Holt was Australia's 17th Prime Minister. Matt takes us through his early life and his climb up the political ladder, before talking about his mysterious disappearance.Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/DoGoOnPod Twitter: @DoGoOnPod Instagram: @DoGoOnPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoOnPod/ Email us: [e-mail] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey everybody, Jess and Dave, just jumping in really quickly at the top here to make sure that you are across all the details for our upcoming Christmas show. That's right, we are doing a live show in Melbourne Saturday December the 2nd, 2023, our final podcast of the year, our Christmas special. It's downstairs at Morris House, which usually be called the European beer cafe. On Saturday December the 2nd, 2023 at 4.30pm, come along, come one, come all, and get tickets at dogoonpod.com. Are you working way too hard for way too little?

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Now is the time, mycomputercareer.edu. This podcast is part of the Planet Broadcasting Network. Visit PlanetBcasting.com for more podcasts from our great mates. Hello and welcome to another episode of Do Go On The Podcast that is sweeping the nation. My name is Dave Warwicky. Just trying to add a bit of sizzle to the intro here. And I'm here with Matt Stewart and Jess Perkins. Hey Dave, how's it going? Curious as to which nation we're sweeping.

South Korea. Wow. We are taking off. I love their flag, maybe my favorite flag. Really? Why would you say to your favorite? I don't know. It's got the red and the yellow ball and then the characters around the outside And the white I think the white makes the red and blue ball pop Yeah, then you reckon nice. We were over the Japanese play the red ball poppin that pops hard Too hard probably so hard. I like like while I like a little I like the

other elements okay what's your my anyway I was gonna switch flag is that's a dumbest Jamaican okay great that is another good flag yes South African flag seven different colors pretty good pretty good pretty good interesting that none of us said the Australian flag it's pretty rubbish flag it's pretty shit on the on the scale of flags No, change of our reckon. Yeah, yeah to the South Korean flag That's what I agree. Let's whoopsy finally if finally enough if we change it to the South Korean flag It would still look like less flags than it currently does What going on is there would be less confusion?

The people's democratic Republic of South Korea in Bracus Australia. Anyway that's a fun little thing we all learnt. And hello to our Korean listeners. Yes. Which there are now millions. Wow just like that. Well you have to do as mentioned in the country. Well it's because we had Mr. Sunday movies James on the show last week and he's obviously massive in South Korea. He's massive everywhere though. Yeah he's a big

person in the pants. Yeah I appreciated it. There you go. He's your buddy. He's your buddy for you know measuring against Dave Ayers for his buddy for I don't know what I'm talking about. Talking about his quads. Okay. He can squat 120 KGs. Whaleses. Which I believe is like heaps. It's a fair bit, yeah. I couldn't do that. Seems like too much.

Yeah, it might have over, over cooked it there, but. But anyway, we, not big gym fans, and then you do a go-on studio. Apart from obviously, I listen to big gym over in Omaha, which I think is a place. Yeah, look at that work I call big gym. Mostly because he doesn't like being called big gym. You work in Omaha?

Yeah, working Omaha. It's in Nebraska or in Nebraska. Wow, I think. What a place. It's quite a commute. Look, I've taken a punt there. Don't look it up. I can see you getting your phone.

Don't look it up. Back yourself. Dave, don't think about this. I'll put it down. I'll into my report. Put it down. You're going to think about it. I accidentally said four people's Democratic Republic of South Korea, but they always call themselves just Korea. Anyway, whatevs? We normally start the show with a question, I believe, from memory, that's how we start. Yeah, I did. I said, how are you? Oh, that's true. Actually, no, I think you are. And then we start the report with the question and I've written one and what's that like? And this is it. Just you shouldn't try it. It is a real thrill. I'm not sure.

The question this week is and this was voted on by the Patreon Sydney Shahnberg, whatever that level is called. The Deluxe Package. So only 15 people voted on this. Everyone had quite a big say. The question is, who was the 17th Prime Minister of Australia? 17th. Who was the 17th? Oh, gosh.

I mean, you guys know them all like the back of your hand. Alright, just a little bit of sizzle for later. Alright, just let's go through an order. I'll say the first one, Edmund Barton. Jess, over to you. Gregory Pek. Good, Sean William Scott. You're gone the long way, Rick.

William Wallace. Elmo. El McPherson. El McPherson's dad. If I give you his first name maybe, um, that'll help you in Harold. Halt. Halt, that's it.

Harold, Halt. Harold, Halt. Hey, hey. The runaway winner. I was worried it would be, uh, James Scullin, who is my great, great uncle. Oh! And that I didn't know what number he was.

Oh! I read about James Scullin. Well, I started talking know what number he was. I read about James Scarlan while I started talking, funny, and I kept going. Oh my God, did you mean that? That was him. So funny, I was writing this report and reading up on it. I learned a lot of stuff that I didn't know about Australian political history, but yeah,

he was not far off. I think he may be edge, not too long before. Actually quite a while before, but in number order, not that far before, Scullin' was number nine. Number nine, okay. Sorry, only eight before, but as I'll talk about,

and basically the story picks up the very next dude. Cool, and they just raced through from there. Right. I was like, is this a trick question should I know this? Oh, imagine he's in the hat. I'm pretty sure yeah, he is I think he would make for a relatively interesting story That's what we aim for on the show relatively interesting. Well, he's a relative of mine That's my best joke for today Out got it out early anyway Eeeewww! That's my best joke for today! It just clock out! I'm out! Got it out early. Anyway!

Harold Edward Holt was born on the 5th of August 1908 in Sydney, New South Wales. Parents to parents. Thomas and Olive Holt. Olive! Great name! Tom and Olive! Tom and Olive! Love it! Love it! Easy to please, Jess, but I love it. I do love it. Tom was a teacher before trying his hand as a hotelier in Adelaide South Australia. And Olive was a physicist, obviously, as we would expect. And continued her studies and research after marriage and into childbearing.

Hmm. Are you thinking of Marie Curie? Ah, yes. Easy to do. Always get all of Holt and Marie Curie. Every time. Oh gosh, I'm a dag. Anyway, sorry. You want a dag?

So while his parents moved to Adelaide, Harold and his brother Cliff remained in Sydney with their uncle studying at the Randwick Public School in Sydney. Cliffholt. Cliffholt. It sounds like his dad was just happy just to shuffle these kids off to relatives.

So after staying with his uncle, they were then sent to a country high school with his grandma, well living with their grandparents, then onto a boarding school in Calara, and then sent to Melbourne where he boarded at Wesley College again with his brother Cliff. You guys familiar with Wesley College? Yeah, purple blazes. Yeah, there's one near where I grew up and one near where I live now. God, that's fun It's a fun fact. It's weird because we're never really involved like when it where it normally miles away from the story So it's funny that I think I know someone who went to that school

You're aware of Melbourne. We usually just strange like yeah like Rural place in Florida or something. Yeah, I've connection. Apart from, of course, Michael Jordan's shorts. Yes, that's right. North Carolina. And the Jackson Fire from Gary, Indiana, although we haven't done anything on them. No, but it's all Michael Jordan shorts together. Obviously, the spiritual home of this podcast.

It's funny that we're talking about how close we are to this. And I'm like, I think I might have known someone who went there once. And I'm like, I I might have known someone who went there once and I'm like I see some of those kids on the tram most mornings It's the same. Yeah, we're really close. We're living it During his during this time his parents split up and

When Harold was 16 and studying at Wesley his mother passed away. Oh no I didn't get to know all of you very well, but I really liked it. Science experiment, gone wrong. Not a massive. Again, you can give him a mercury. Despite the heart. Pinnisillin. Very close. That is actually Olli. Despite the unsettled years of Harold's schooling, he was a good student and also athlete doing well at both in his years at Wesley,

which led to him winning a scholarship to the Queens College at the University of Melbourne. Studying law halt kept up his sporting pursuits representing the College in tennis football and cricket. He was also elected as the president of the Sports and Social Club as well as the Law Student Society was a member of the debating team and he won medals for speaking in essay writing. Oh for God's sake. Ensure a bit of a higher cheever. I do a lot to not get a girlfriend. I was going to say some super famous.

I hate a smart guy. Smart guy who's also like, he was kept another cricket team. Yeah. Definitely, yeah. Give me a bad boy. You know, you know the old photos of people? And so you know what they look like, right? And then you're researching them

and they're often called handsome or something like, wow, is it different time? Yeah. And some men are different thing. Yeah, I see photos and I'm like, get me in there, get me in. Oh, that time. That time.

Oh, no, I'm not like, oh, yeah, get me in there. So what you think you'd be better looking? I see what you say. Yeah, I'm saying, get me back to 1912, because I maybe could have done a right. Hey. Hey. Oh, oh, Dave was fishing, but he caught me caught a little just a minute. Sorry, just got something on the end of this line.

Dave, you're gorgeous. Reeling in. Oh, God, I feel good. You're a beautiful boy. Thank you, but I imagine how beautiful something on the end of this line. Dave, you're gorgeous. Reeling in. Oh, God, I feel good. You're a beautiful boy. Thank you, but I imagine how beautiful I would have been in 1912. Oh, so much more beautiful. Oh, wow. Or just like totally bizarre, like they can't even, they're like, what is this?

What? I still, I get that sometimes even at this day and age. Can you believe it? Do you walk into shops and people go, ah, sorry. Do you get that? Yeah. Hmm. You look like a Randall from Monstersing. Do you walk into shops and people go, ah, sorry. Do you get that? Yeah, I do. You look like a Randall from Monstersing. It's because I'm intimidatingly good looking.

I don't know what to look, because I'm above them. They look at your boobs. Yeah. Oh, sorry. And even they're good. Oh, pig. Come on. I'll be here.

No, I want this to stop. Please do. Please do go on. Anyway, so you're saying that some photos you look back and you're like, how is this dude a hot man? Yeah, well just when they're described as, you know, dashing and handsome, that's something I'm like, oh, interesting.

Maybe H.H. Holmes, the serial killer was described that way because he could talk his way. You know, a lot of people are liking him. And then you look at that photo and you're like, ooh, I wouldn't trust him. I wouldn't go into his basement. He looks like a serial killer. After uni, he started building up his legal practice. Yeah, I wouldn't trust it wouldn't go into his basement. He looks like a serial killer

After uni he started building up his legal practice. Sorry, but what are you saying that he's actually a good-looking dude? No, I'm saying I yeah similar. It's like I maybe just an average just a normal looking guy I thought he was gonna be the exception to the rule. No exception. No, it's just more about personality Yeah, I think so why don't they have a photo of these personalities? Wikipedia page. Yeah, come on guys. So he was only still only in his mid-20s when he started up his own legal practice. What have you done Dave? Started up several legal practices. I mean, I know and I'm very proud of you. But I'm in my late 20s now so it's pretty embarrassing actually. It was around this time in 1933 that Holt joined the United Australia Party. You guys familiar with the United Australia Party?

Yes. At vaguely Ranger Bell? As long as you have no follow-up question. That sounded a bit like the United Patriots front, which are the Parme United Party, both of which are not good things to be a part of in this day and age. Well, it was the major conservative party in Australian federal politics at the time and also the party of then Prime Minister Joseph Lyons, who was the guy who was directly following your great-grandpappy or whatever.

What is the relation? My great-great-uncle. Is my grandmother's uncle. So cool, Jess, you are so cool. Thank you so much. Oh, is that your inventory act to that? So Hulk very quickly went into contesting elections. And in the 1934 election, he ran for the UAP in the safe labor

seat of Yara, obviously labobean, the other major party. And predictably, he lost attracting only 27.3% of the vote. The following year, he again unsuccessfully contested an election this time in the Victorian State election, again in a safe labor seat. But he's going to be part of the United, the Conservatives. Yes. That's the state that we are in. The UAE.

But so he's fighting a losing battle, contesting seats that are definitely on the other side. Yeah, I think maybe that that was just a writer passage. I think that is how you often do it, unless you really sort of, you get the, what do you call it when you get the... Hebe Gbys. When you get tapped or whatever, is it? What's the saying? You know, you get the Hebe Gbys. Hebe Gbys, that's it, by the, by the higher up. So give you the Hebe-Geebys and that means you get a sweet safe seat. Anyhow, another opportunity arose in 1935 when a bi-election was called to fill the federal seat of Faulkner. Faulkner was left vacant when it's sitting member George Maxwell Passeway. He's

another politician I've never heard of, but he sat in the seat of Forkner for 18 years. He was a Scottish-born politician. What I've found interesting about him is that in those 18 years he represented three different parties, the Nationalist Party, from 1917 to 1929. Then he went independent as well from 29 to 30, then representing the Australian Party from 1930 to 31 before finally representing the United Australia party from 31 to 35 when he died. That's crazy. And they're all conservative parties. So it just sort of shows how volatile politics was back then certainly in party politics, which is funny when people talk about it now, like it's wild, we change prime ministers every few years lately. But back then it seemed to be... Kevin O7, still7 still still me hanging on hanging on to the dream

Kevin I'll be back I believe so yes I yes that would be amazing Kevin 07 he spoke Mandarin that is true what a guy had those beady little glasses he ever see that video of him cracking the shits Oh, he is a big song Seriously if you ever seen someone take a ball off him. He's like give it back. Yeah, yeah, give it back That's mine. Okay, you haven't seen our video. It's so funny. Oh, you know, whatever

But he he really just cracks it at everyone around him. He can't quite get the words out So it's like fuck fuck fucking fucking Oh brilliant. I need to see this. I'll definitely I'll post it So good. By the way we are for overseas people. We're talking about our former prime minister who was in charge got kicked out came back for a couple of months and got kicked out again What a time. It was pretty crazy Just looking at the middle. When you hear the national anthem, do you think of Kevin Rudd? Yes. And when I think of Kevin Rudd, I hear the national anthem.

Wow. What a cycle that you trapped in. I'm going to friend at work, who's Canadian, who was trying to sing the Australian national anthem the other day. And like she did pretty well, but it was a lot of something something something I was like look you're probably doing better than a lot of Australians. It is a it is a pretty boring song. One of the lines is and nature's gifs when I was a kid I thought there was nature strips. We do have a lot of nature strips.

We got a lot of nature strips. A little bit of yard at the front of your house. What do you got the verge? trips. We got a lot of nature trips. A little bit of yard at the front of your house. What do you got? The Verge. The Verge. Is that what American's called? No, that's what people in, I think, W.A. called the Verge. The Verge. That's great. Put it out on the Verge. Don't lie that. When I was in U10, sorry, just quickly meant, it is kind of political. In U10, I had this class where we looked at all, not all, but a selection of national anthems from different countries and sort of like analyzed what the message and what the text was and a lot of them were like, don't fuck with us, we will cut you, we've got

weapons, a lot of them are like, we are mighty and Australians are like, come on in! Hey, we've got land! Which is ironic because we are not at all like that. Absolutely not. Unlike many of the countries in Europe who do accept people for a second. Exactly, but the anthems are like, we are the best and we will win.

Gert by C is the line that people love. I love Gert by C. Because it's the only place you ever hear the word Gert. Gert. It means surrounded by us. Yeah, which we are because we're in Ireland. I learnt that from an Andy Saunders bit. Did you?

Does a whole bit about good. Oh he does too. Oh Andy. Anyway, sorry. Do go on. Hey, anyhow. I wrote that in here, and it's very appropriate. Anyhow, Maxwell's death led to the by-election,

which Holt won, making him one of the youngest ever members of Parliament. What have you done, Dave? Several law firms. I don't care. Have you ever been a young member of parliament? No. Do you guys know who the youngest ever MP was? Do you? Gehazah. Pretty white Roy. It is white Roy. How old was he? 20. Fuck off. He's the same age as us so he's 27 now. But he also, but he was in and out of parliament like he's already been defeated before

in and out of pulp like he's already been defeated before before the age of twenty seven he was already an ex-pulmonary he's still hoping to be part of the twenty seven club oh no yeah what I want to hope but like just be twenty you know go to the pub study something dumb at uni i reckon that's politics is a lot of going to the pop some of our of no idea that politics is a lot of going on in the pub somehow. I have no idea what politics is. They just get paid pretty well. Like it's 20 and he would have been getting paid a couple hundred grand. You're not like not wild amounts of money but good money.

Not wild, not wild. But people always complain about like people you know we should be paying our politicians. not actually that's not a lot of people but I heard one person say that one time anyway um in 1939 which is a year that seems to come up in every second report I just want to get to the 40s Prime Minister in 1939 Prime Minister Lyons died of a heart attack he was the first Australian PM to die in office and his death led to Robert Menzies becoming PM and Hulk quickly rose up the ranks under the mentorship of Menzies. Does that like something you'd be proud of? Like it was the first to die in office?

It would be if you're alive, mate. It's the first to be a first, isn't it? Yeah, that's true. It could fit Lions. Dave's tossing it up. Well, I mean, whatever I ever done, that was the first... You've never died in office, have you? I know, certainly not been the first to die.

You're a real piece of work. He's already beat me too, because that was my life aspiration. And now I've just found out that someone did it in 1939. Yes, you were beaten by quite a margin. This is... what a way to find out. There's a real kick in the teeth. Hey, it's okay little bit. Maybe I can be the first one to not die in office.

Ah, no, that's kind of being done too. That's been done as well, yeah. Before 1939. Yeah, I think maybe you'll need to die, but then be reeee... Somehow be the first to be elected when you did. Oh right, the first ghost Prime Minister. Oh, sick arm! first ghost prime minister. Ghost prime minister. Oh, sick call.

He's the friendly ghost. Ghost PM. Oh, I love it. Because I love it. We won't, we'll do that. We'll do that. We did that sketch a couple years ago. She featured in chess.

Probably you two day, I can't remember. I don't think I did. We filmed in Canberra a few different ideas and one that never got up. You know how there was an old parliament house than a new parliament house? We filmed this thing that was gonna be like an ad for this new sitcom called New Adventures of Old Parliament House.

Very funny as an idea. How did they knock it off the ground. I don't know. I don't know. Oh gosh, because that could have been a big crossover during that in Ghost PM. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I'm like this. These could be spin-offs.

It could be the Frazier. Who's playing the Ghost PM? That's speedy. If you don't have to pay an actor. It's just an empty screen. Yeah, the door opens. And things like floating on like fishing wine. Yeah, it's all open. And like things like floating on like fishing wine. Yeah, good stuff.

It's low budget. Yeah, as I would have expected. Anyhow, with the second World War breaking 1939, Holt joined up to the war effort as a gunner. He didn't even need to resign from parliament, which I found interesting. That is amazing. That's cool. But three cabinet ministers were killed in a plane crash, not long after, and Menzies called Holt back to Canberra,

where he was soon promoted to the cabinet, which is like the higher level in a ministry. Well, they keep the good cutlery. That's where they keep the good cutlery. And Crystal Chilts. And Harold Holt. And Mum's good tea cups. and he's still pretty young. In 1941 there was...

Yeah, it was 1941! Oh, I should have left that for you. Do you want me to do it again? No, never again. So well old machine this part, 177th episode soon. In 1941 there was some inner turmoil in the UAP and Menzies was forced to resign as Prime Minister by his own party. In a time I'm on the UAP and loon, 41, the more good boys, it lost a lot of good boys. But here's Carol with a baking dish. A baking wow. What is your place like an instrument?

What are you more than Carol? Oh, that's a bumsy. She bakes in it. She bakes in the dish. She's inside the dish. It's a bum. She bakes in it. She bakes in the dish. She's inside the dish. It's quite large. Help, I'm trapped in a dish. Carol, get back in there. Keep baking.

Keep baking. We need the ad-zock biscuits for the war front. Mother boys! So, but Mendz is out. So, Mendz is out. And Holt was one of the many prominent UAP ministers who would draw their support for Mendzies, which must have hurt Mendzies top dog that's like to go back to Star Wars

and he can go against Obi-Wan yeah it is a lot like that but apparently men's isn't hold it against him he still saw him as his protege I used to call him apparently used to call him young Harold so he didn't hold he didn't hold it against him pause high five And I thank you. Another word for pause is halt. Maybe. Oh, fuck, he's good. And halt? Very good. Very good. Look, I mean, spending a lot of time with halt lately.

You get a high five, too. Come here. It's being edited out. No, I won't mind. So you got him little Harold. A young Harold. A little Harold. A little Harold coming in. That's another sitcom. What day is it today, little Harold? Look, Harold. Young Harold. Little Harold, come here. That's another sitcom.

What day is it today, little Harold? Look, I'm in the fucking ministry now. I was wondering if you could stop calling me that in front of everyone else. Shut up, little Harold. That's it, I'm going to stab you. Wow. Politically.

Nice. In the back. The UAP became a bit of a shambles and was ousted from government by a no-confidence vote. This led to Labor Party leader John Curtin being able to form a new government and become the 14th Prime Minister of Australia.

Curtin! That's something you put on your bloody windows not putting your bloody Prime Minister's throne. But all right you should come out with these. You should come out here. The Prime Minister but it's actually just a curtain. Ah, ah. We've got so many good fuck you two and a think tank with

at all the sketch ideas. Oh, this isn't a sketch. This is like a, this is a dynasty that crowns doing 10 series. I reckon it's good to do 20. Easily. We'll be right every season. It's a different type of blind for nation.

It's getting a bit sunny outside. Draw the Prime Minister. Led to a lot of confusion. People kept doing caricatures. Do not leave me hanging. I'm not hanging. Curtin represented the seat of Freemannel and is still the only ever PM of Australia to represent a seat outside the Eastern States.

Oh, I think that was there. The knows how the Australian know Western Australian apart from him. Yes, because they don't do anything. But Jesse is trying to excuse me to get us from every city that's not on the East. I will also be at Perth Fringe World in January. Love you Perth and Western Australia in general. Curtain is revered by many as one of Australia's great prime ministers. There's something we never talk about. You know how they've got like Mount Rushmore in America and you know like Churchill and all the greats of England.

But you know they never talk about the great Australian prime ministers but apparently Menzie is another one who's seen that way but also yeah John Curtin seen as one of the greats. About Whitlam. On this thing I read Whitlam was a level below. He was, I mean, it was messy. He did some great things and he mucked up some stuff. I don't know. He's so his name was Goth. Goth's great. That's cool.

Goth comes up a little bit later. That's why Jess gets votes for Goth. Goth. So this wasn't an incredibly crazy time. We're in the world world. And the Prime Minister's just got no confidence but he's a party, the party gets voted out, then a new, unelected party forms government. That's right, so there's a lot of, I mean, it's crazy.

It's crazy because there's a lot going on anyway and that's probably leads a lot of this incident. And what decade is this? The 1940s. But yeah, so he's revered so much that there's even a pub named after him, not too far from you in Carlton. Oh yeah, Curtin. Yeah, the Curtin I tell. I've been there many times at very late or early morning. And there's also John Curtin University in February. Well yeah, I short as the John Curtin you but there's also a tarbin Carlton and I also draped my bedroom in

Curtin. So you have Curtins? Yeah, I just have a blind actually now I do have a pool down blind, but I refer to it as the curtain Do you have Venetian John Curtins? Yeah Venetian John Curtins. That doesn't make sense. His time in office didn't last long though after leading Labor to their strongest ever election victory in 1943 Curtin also died in office on the 5th of July 1945. But he was not the first to do it. World War II, and that's right.

Just another one in a relatively short queue to be honest. The year is 1945, the walls nearly over, and John Curtin is dead. I love that they're dead. More often break. Predicting that the war is nearly over. Yeah, they knew knew they had a sense I think they must have they wouldn't own Dave you know do you know the war is wrapping up slowly Yeah, after curtains passing Frank Ford became the Prime Minister

He still holds a record for shortest time in office being the PM for all Can we guess? Yeah, but it's a short amount of time But it's not I don't think it's an excitingly short amount of time. Oh, nine months. Oh, it's more exciting than that. Six months. Seven days. Alright, maybe it was exciting.

That's so exciting! What did you think was exciting? Eight minutes. I was thinking minutes or something. Seven days is so good, and then when you said it was an exciting, that's why we went high, but I would have said like a week. Would you say that he became Prime Minister on Monday, took the job for a drink on Tuesday,

kept wasn't office on Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday Saturday before chilling on Sunday. Yes, would you say? And resigning on Monday. Seven days, Craig David, respect. That is one of my favorite things you've ever done on this podcast. I'm not big, that was amazing. Thank you. Thank you you. You got a lot of good stuff. What a car to work

It's what an over there. Sorry, I Bombed it while I was trying to say that word Seven days that is ridiculous. Yes, but it was it was it was basically because someone died Yeah, I can't take a car basically caretaker. He's just keeping the seat warm. Yeah, but I'll love that as well. There's a few of those when the conservative, because the conservative governments have mainly been coalitions and the way they're set up is the minor party in the coalition is their leaders, the deputy. So currently it's the Liberal Party, Malcolm Terples, the prime minister, the national party, their leader is the deputy. So currently it's the Liberal Party, Malcolm Turnbull is the prime minister,

the national party, their leader is the deputy prime minister. So if Malcolm Turnbull died. He was the deputy prime minister until having to leave, Barnaby Joyce. I'll Barnaby Joyce, that's right. Yeah, so that makes my, nice and easy explanation, a little more complicated. Yes, anyway, so I do understand.

So then the national party leader would be the prime minister until basically the Liberal Party sought themselves out. Yeah, great. So until the bigger party is like, hey, all right, we'll take it from you, a little man. If you're listening at home and none of this makes sense, I'm here and it doesn't make sense. So don't worry about it. Just go with it. Look, Jay-C. Jay-C. Jay-C. Look Jay-C. Jay-C. What you need to understand is that Australia has a constitutional monarchy. I'm bored. I'm bored.

I'm bored. I don't get it. Okay. Well. Show me in picture form. Anyhow. He's a fad of Craig Davin. He's really musely now for some reason.

Now I get politics. Yeah. He was the gym. Big gym. Muscley now for some reason now I get politics. Yeah, he was the gym big gym He was followed forward that is was followed by another famous laborer PM Ben Chiffley Might be familiar with his name Chiffley. He's had some stuff named after him Anyway, so since World War 2 broke six years earlier. We've had Earl Paige Robert Menzies Arthur Fatton John Curtain Frank, and Ben Chiffley all spend time as the Prime Minister of Australia.

Six years, six PMs. So the Curebilly House, which is the Prime Minister, one of their residences has been decorated many times. And this has been in wartime rationing. wartime, yeah. And the staff are still trying to figure out the name, or who, who? They're just calling, at this time,

they're calling everyone PM, just in case. Yeah, smart. In the meantime, Robert Menzies was working to form a new conservative political party from the ashes of the UAP. And on the 31st of August 1945, Menzies officially announced the formation of the Liberal Party of Australia. That's right, who are the top dogs now? It's fair to say politically, the new party was a resounding success.

Despite losing the following election in 1946 to Chifleys Labor Party, the MENZI's led Liberal Party won the 1949 election, then the 1951, 54, 55, 58, 61 and 63 elections consecutively. I've kind of swept through the longest ever Prime Minister ship in a sanded there. Along with his first stint, Menzies was Prime Minister for 18 years. Wow. Just a bloody good effort. That's by far the record. Second place being Johnny Han. I was going to say how long was John Howard? I think he was 12. Because he was 11 or 13.

I sort of felt like growing up. He was the only Prime Minister I knew. Yeah, that's right. I mean, yeah, because he came in in, when he come in, 96. 25 and when he's six. Yeah, so we were little kids. And we didn't think that Mendez was kicked out the first time. Yeah. Yeah.

No confidence and then comes back. With his own party that he's made up. Yeah, well, guess what? I've hand picked these people. It's crazy. And we've got Michael Jordan starting center Oh, and that's me and he was a point guard. Yeah boy mix and stuff up. This is a new generation Michael Jordan's like no seriously. Was he a point guard shooting guard?

Anyway, whatever is that even a thing shooting guard a thing? Well, I'm gonna move on a little matter of fact about Michael Jordan Is the often were a little pair of shorts underneath a little pair Tiny shorts cut off the circulation but anyway that's a goody was we could have kids through through that time through the time of men's these prime ministers ship hope continue to climb the ladder becoming treasurer in nineteen fifty eight uh... despite having little interest in economics so he's jumped to the Liberals.

Yeah, he basically, he's one of the fans. Basically, the Liberal Party was made up of nearly all UAP, XUAP. Right. Got you. OK. Cool. And even though he stabbed men'sies in the back, he's still getting a... He's sort of like he was one of many, but men'sies

didn't hold it against him. Slovely. I think he just got politics or whatever. I don't know, or if he held it against him he would have to hold it against all prominent conservative politicians, which would have been difficult. That sounds like something that Kevin Rudd would do. Classic Rudd. In 1960, Holt introduced a package of reforms with the aim of slowing inflation. The measures became known as the Holt Jolt and proved to be a mistake putting the country in a recession.

Oh, I think it's him. It's so good. Yeah, I was like, Holt Jolt, I love it. I mean, that's why I like Kevin A7. This hurt Holt. It's just like slogan. Fucking love of good. It's like a Donald Trump drain the swamp. You were out there chanting. No, I didn't like that. Don't like draining the swamp. No, but I do love just do it.

Yeah, that's a good one. It's a real solid one. So the recession obviously hurt. Finger-lic-in-good. Yeah, of course that is that. John Howitz. How he came to be the Prime Minister. He just kept looking his fingers at his opponents in the debates would be like, what about

your policies? And he'd be like, what's this? Finger-lic-in-good. Rod famously looked his finger after putting it in his ear, remember? It was footage of him in question time. Oh, yeah, no. It was like, yeah, it was weedy.

Looked at it and he ate the earwax. It was made international news. Your man, KF-07. I never said that. I'm all back to tape. I've never said I liked him. Please don't roll paper-safe. So this hurt holds popularity, the Holt Junk

and the recession obviously. The Holt Junk, it sounds like a dance. Do the Holt Junk. Oh, the kids were doing the Holt Junk. Well mainly, that was the problem. Like whilst, everywhere out the country was trying to save their economy, he was just dancing. This is a fixed jet.

Yeah, come on, everybody put it, oh, the kids are doing dancing. This is a fixed jet. Come on, everybody put all the kids doing it. Is it a violation under control? There's an inflation in my pants. I'm being a character. Oh, that's right. My pants are deeply. You've got concave pants. So, so it goes in. So this drop-in popularity meant that they only just scraped through in the 1961 election,

the Liberal Party, that is the Coalition. They did get through though and Holt got through with the help of Menzie's public support So Menzie was out there saying these decisions were full party decisions You know, he didn't leave him hanging out to dry like he could have he got by with a little help From these friends from the longest serving Australian prime minister Sir Robert Menzie's He's friend. We could have called it. We could have called it the Menzie frenzy But we thought Holt Jock sounded better. So that's why it's on the end of the reason. Okay. The big

Menzy Frenzy. What do I mean way better wouldn't it? That's second best thing you've ever done. Wow what a hot episode. Oh yeah. I went my I did the majority of my university studies in the Menzy's building, which is maybe the ugliest building. What I was going to say isn't there a building yet? At Monash. I couldn't remember what uni, I was like, was it at my uni? Big, ugly, beige brown. Yeah, the Menzies building. There's a Menzies theater at my uni.

Lithro-Bini is where I did a lot of plays, and it was very also 1970s built, and I'm pretty shitty, is it? Yeah, well we had, I'm sure we had something named after him too at my uni. I don't remember it, but I'm sure it was there Yeah, the men's is John. Yeah, yeah, it was the oh no men's sorry I'm looking for the men's these jobs Are you saying men? I'm not sure

Halt later to describe these years is the most difficult of his life He's obviously never tried to open a can of pickles. Which took years. I can as well. A panic, I did a match to it and I started a sentence, so I didn't know where it was going to go. That's where I always get the good stuff. I agree, like those. Didn't so like that.

As Trejora, Holt was also involved in major moments, such as the establishing of the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the introduction of decimal currency. Oh, on the 14th February, 1966. Wow, there you go. That was the introduction. This I found a bit, I went off in a little tangent here, initially Holt announced that the new Australian currency

would be called the Royal. Do you know that? So he publicly announced it, and that's what he said it's going to be, the Australian Royal. Like when someone accidentally crowns the wrong winner of Miss Universe on live TV, that's what happened to him. Alright guys, we're going to call the money the Royal. I'm sorry, I've just been told, I'm sorry, this been a mistake, I've been fed the wrong information. Royals already been crowned. Oh dear, I'm gonna have to take that back. It's the dollar. But it was changed because it was just super unpopular. There was massive backlash.

50 Royals. Yeah, I don't like it. It's bad. There was so much backlash to the extent that Holt's wife Zara received death threats for both her and Holt. Because of the name of currency. They said you're gonna be left of widow. Pick your battles people. And quite amazing to me. No I back that because I could not stand it if they were called royals. No but if that's all you knew you wouldn't even think about it. Also now I'm just making sure that I did get the

date right. I'm pretty sure I did. What on my teacher? It was definitely not at 66. What on my teachers in them? So what was that song from? Sorry, I didn't quite hear what you said. It was supposed to be the theme of, could go the she is boys.

Great tune. And it was like a jingle that was used when decimal currency was coming in to remind people of when it would be officially started. And so that goes, it's the 14th of February 1966. One of my teachers in the attendees to sing that out of us and we'd be like, we get it. But hey, here I am. Exactly.

12 years later and I still remember. According to documents released in 1993, he told Holt told his fellow cabinet ministers that the royal had been a terrible mistake. They were then considering calling it the Ostrall, but Holt argued against it, saying that the Australian accent could make 14 Ostrals, sound like 40 nostrils. Just not a bad point. Just showing me that she has in fact got the date right. It was the 14th of February 1966. So none of us will forget when decimal currency comes in this

February 1966. Halt push for it to be named the dollar after that and obviously the rest says they say it's history. The idea that it was nearly called a royal got me interested though and I looked up a few other contenders but they were apparently were hundreds and hundreds so it was like public the public roll out to suggest any if you got any Feel like David have an idea. I got a few that were Suggested to the reduce plugins. Floggins is good. Rijima Digge There's wool and mulloes before wool and mullo was a place. Wow trucky bicky That would have been got toucky Bickeys, please. Cobbers. Here is something I found. The quid, the canga, the canga. Yeah, canga is pretty good.

Oh, it's gonna be called canga. The champ. No. 50 champs. Oh my god, I love it. The rou. I don't like that as much. I like kangabans. I read somewhere the decimate, but that couldn't have been. That can't. Decimate. Yeah, decimate. Like decimals, but decimates is bad. That can't.

That's someone's. Yeah, decimates. I didn't believe it. 50 Roo's is all right. The Os, the Koala, the Boomer, the Amu, the Digger, and the Zach. Yeah, I've had all of them. 50 Diggers. 50 Zack's? Zack's.

Zack on. That's what could work. 50 Roo's, but 50 Kangas is fun. Kangas is probably the best I could have. I like Quid. Quid's good. People sort of talk Quid anyway, but they've spelled Quid with a KW.

Yeah, to make it more Australian, more Kardashian. They're all set with K. Are you working way too hard for way too little? There's never been a better time to consider a career in IT. You could enjoy a recession resistant career in a rewarding field with plenty of growth opportunities and often flexible work environments. Go to mycomputercareer.edu and take the free career

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In January 1966, Menzies announced his retirement, and Holt was elected unopposed as his successor. So he's made it all the way to the top. This meant that he was able to ascend to the top office without stepping over any dead bodies. A sending, like some sort of saint. Like a saint, yeah. Wow. The ascension. He ascended. No dead bodies. Whoa. Which is relatively uncommon in Australian politics. Certainly now, lifetime, every prime minister has had to knifer a party mate. Someone has to ungracefully step aside rather than retiring on top. Which is, yeah, I guess there's not that, because people who were attracted to politics,

so, you know, they... Power, egomaniacs. Some people. Halt taking over from men's ears was like the sun taking over the family business after a long apprenticeship. And men's ears declared that the country was in good hands and on the 26th of January 1966. Australia day. Holt was sworn in as Australia's 17th Prime Minister. It was a big shift in styles the old school presenting men's was out and the

young hip Holt was in. Holt was 58 years old. And he'd been in politics for over 30 years. But his hip, he's a hip cool cat. And he's new. He's fresh. He's done the Holt job. He's old. And he's been in politics for over 30 years. But his hip, he's a hip cool cat. And he's new. He's doing, he's doing the Hulk job. He's wearing cool sunnies. He's got a funky tie. At that time, he was actually, it took him the longest amount of time as a sitting parliamentarian to become

prime minister over 30 years. Yeah, but he wore fun fliers. That was broken by the following Prime Minister, but yeah, which is pretty amazing thing. Like normally if you become Prime Minister, you do it in less than 30 years. But he was a treasurer to the longest serving Prime Minister all the time, so it sort of makes sense.

And so he was sort of presenting more contemporarily if that's a word. And one of the most famous photos of him, which will probably be the cover photo for this episode, he was wearing like a skin tight swimming costume and he was surrounded by three bikini clad women. The women wear his three daughters in law. But that's sort of like, it kind of looks like he was in a Bond film or something. Wow, with his daughters in law. Well, I mean, they was just a family photo.

I don't know what the... Well, would you refer to your family as this bikini clad? Well, I'm referring to them as that. I don't think he referred to them as bikini clad. It's forgotten their names. Guys, we can just get the photographers over here to take a photo of me and my bikini clad daughter-in-laws.

That'd be great. Politics, so. So he's kind of presented differently. Another difference was that while Menzies was very focused on great Britain and a big monarchy lover, and he was the one pushing for the royals to be the... Monarchy. The name of the currency. Holt started shifting Australia's focus more towards the United States.

And this was in part due to his close friendship with the current US president of the time, Lyndon B. Johnson, AKA LBJ. I've heard of him. Yeah, I vaguely heard of him, and I think it was maybe because of his relationship with Holt, I guess. One of the defining issues of Holt's prime ministership was the Vietnam War.

It was increasingly unpopular with the Australian people. Yet Holt's government significantly increased Australia's military involvement. Some put this down to Holt's friendship with the US President Johnson. Oh that's terrible. That was another good time. No. When Holt visited Washington in June 1966, he gave a speech that included his most infamous line. He went off script slightly when referring to Australia's military support for America and the Vietnam war He said that we will be all the way with LBJ Which is a line out of one of it LBJ It was like a famous campaign slogan. Yeah, that's right

So that sounded a bit Sikafantic and was seen as being a bit embarrassing back home in Australia Also a bit foolish and maybe even dangerous saying that you know, we'll do it. It sort of sounds like he's saying we'll do whatever We'll do whatever you want. We're all the way. Well, I sang to a Obama. Yes, we can give you uncapped military support. Yeah So yeah, that that military support. Yeah. So yeah, that that that. Get him out. Drain this swamp in brackets. We'll do it. We'll do it for you. Can we do it? Deputy dog.

He wasn't long Prime Minister before we had to lead the party into a federal election after 10 months in the job. But this would have all been part of the plan with men's ears on the hand over giving him enough time and office to lead a strong campaign, I suppose. So after 10 months in the job, Holt led the Liberal Party to a huge victory. They romped it in. And you know, I was talking about the coalition before the Liberal Party were only a couple of seats short of being able to lead in their own right without even needing the minor country party. Holt doesn't get a lot of cutoff for this bit, for this result though, as the labor opposition

would go into a tough time and were a party divided between their old man and old school leader, Arthur Colwell, who was the opposition leader at the time, and his deputy, Gough Whitlam. Gough. Which land? With Colwell and Whitlam publicly contradicting each other on major election issues during the campaign.

How's this about Colwell? I'd never heard of Colwell. Either of us. It was quite an old man at this stage in the early 70s. I mean, he never made it to be PM himself. He's an elite for so long. But he was one of Australia's very few victims of an attempted political assassination.

On June 21, 1966, after addressing an anti-conscription rally, a 19 year old student named Peter Cockin, Cotin, Cotin, fired a sword. Let's go with Cockin, Cockin. Cockin fired a sword of rifle at Carl Well Carl well at point blank range through his closed car window Luckily the window deflected the bullet and he only suffered minor cuts from the broken glass So whose window was closed? The politician or was the guy shooting behind the window?

That's a pretty fucking dumb thing Just wind it, pal. Now it was definitely coal wells, coal wells. Oh, you could have nuked on it. Let me in. Just roll daddy's wind it. Wainsworthing. Teap and par, whatever they said.

Which I know. A joke I never got, but I always laughed at. Grapefruit par. Grapefruit par. Excuse me, baking powder. I never got a dye there. But I laughed. Didn't something laugh.

I think it said it with such a cheek. Grin on his face. I think it's a famous American ad. Oh, even funny in our guys. Oh, maybe less. Maybe less funny. One of the few ads that hasn't stuck with Matt from childhood. Because I never saw it. Apparently, Coke and as I think we're calling him was, was, was, a cock, so he was sent to a psychiatric hospital where he remained for 10 years. But they're co-well apparently regularly visited him and this encouraged his eventual rehabilitation apparently. He's like the Pope.

So that's me talking about. So his ten years link. So that fact made me think, oh oh what a this car is kind of good Oh, no Anyway, I'll tell you as soon you'll see why I don't like him as much Coal retired following the election meaning that Whitlam stepped up as leader of the Labor Party And therefore his opposition leader and Whitlam made things a lot more difficult for hold as it was much more effective Opponent than coal the old old school guy.

Did you guys know that the white Australia policy still existed in 1966? I didn't realise that. Yeah. So Australia had this policy that basically favoured white immigration over other immigration. And Colwell was a big fan of it. One of the things that he and Whitlam strongly disagreed on was Colwell's like White Australia policy all the way sort of thing. And Whitlam not as keen on it. Whitlam obviously is like maybe them would probably be the most progressive stront

promise ever maybe. I say that it from the standpoint of a guy who did ear 12 politics, thank you. So you say ear 12 politics. Ear 12. Wow, it gave you my Matt's ear 12 was before Whitlamen. Yeah, that's right. So they called it matric back then.

So you're the best prime minister ever, was obviously Edmund Bars and the first one. Yes, it was the only one. It's all you knew. It was very easy back then. So if you ask about how many prime ministers there's been, of course, there's only one. Only one. There can be only one.

What is a trick question? Holt started the process of breaking down the white Australia policy, though. So Holt was also kind of bring Australia into the bloody modern day. He ended the distinction between Asian and European migrants and also permitted skilled Asians to settle with their families. This is in 1966. I blew my mind. Apparently he also started the Australian Council for the Arts which opened up federal support for Australian artists, which is another cool sounding thing that he's done. Hold, enjoy enjoy a very positive first year in office, 1966. Things went great. I mean there were a few speed bumps, that LBJ stuff, who just popularity a little bit,

but things generally would go pretty well and it all culminated in the big election victory. According to his biography on the Australian Dictionary of Biography website, Jess, you'll love this quote, I think. The Australian Dictionary of Biography. Yeah, what a wild name, love it. Right it. Well, you've been, I think you like what, where they had that. This is a quote, whereas 1966 was a good year.

Hmm. Pff. Pff. Pff. Pff. Everything seemed to go wrong in 1967. Not a good year. Not a good year.

In 67 his brother died, which he described as a terrible blow, and he was also experiencing increasing political troubles and flagging popularity, much of which was self-inflicted but also due to cough, Whitlam's increasing popularity. So Holt was going through a tough period. We're getting up to things that may be a more famous bit. Holt was going through a tough period, but apparently he was in good spirits when he left Canberra

on Friday the 15th of December, for a weekend getaway at his family's holiday house imports the on the Mornington Peninsula. Oh. The idea was to come back to work refreshed and ready to tackle the new political year with new policy platforms and a shuffle of the ministry. He stayed, his wife stayed home, but he played tennis and chilled out with friends on Saturday the 16th of December the following day.

On Sunday the 17th of December, Holt went down to Cheviot Beach, not far from Portsea, with four others, and they included Marjorie Gillespie and her daughter, Viner. It was a warm and windy day, as they straddled along the beach. Holt was keen to get in for a swim, so he changed in us some baters, and there was some concern that the surface was a bit rougher than usual that day, but Holt famously replied, I know this beach like the back of my hand, as he strode into the water and began swimming towards the horizon. Oh dear.

The following is taken from an article on smithsonian.com. The article is called the Prime Minister who disappeared. There might be a spoiler there. Ha ha ha. Martin Simpson, who's varners boyfriend, followed, but stopped when he was knee deep in the surf. There was a fairly strong undercurrent, he said, so I just splashed around without going in too far.

The third man in the group, Alan Stewart, told the others, if Mr. Holt can take it, I'd better go in too. Stewart. Interesting, Martin, in your relation? Yeah, it was my son. But he stopped quickly when he felt a tremendous undertow swirling around his legs. He watched Holt swim out into what he considered dangerous turbulence. Marjorie Gillespie kept her eyes on Holt as he swam farther and father out until the water swelled around him and he disappeared.

I said father but it said further. I'm going to say, what was he's father? He swam father. Father. Rescue teams were called and very quickly the Australian Army Navy Marine Board of Victoria and the Department of Air were playing a role in the largest search and rescue operation in Australia's history. I don't fuck around when it's the prime minister, do they? Which is wild though, right?

That he could even just go out. The prime minister's went out for a swim in rough waters by himself. And I think that would be allowed anymore. Probably a pile of piggas of Harold. Well, our prime minister, Malcolm Terrible, goes like often kayaking on Sydney Harbour. Does he? Yeah. What if you're on a ferry and just look over at often kayaking on Sydney Harbour. Does he? Yeah. What if you're on a ferry and you just look over at the kayaking

like morning prime minister? It would be, to me, it would be a lot like seeing Mesa driving a tram. I've seen it. Wow. He drove past my house. He drove past my house. One time I was on a straight and my car stopped as the tram stopped and Mesa was the driver of the tram.

My car was going the opposite way but directly next to the tram and we just opened our windows and said hi. I didn't get a photo because I was like nobody would believe me. I just told the story. I was putting the bin at once and he drove by. In a tram. In a tram. In a tram.

Yeah. Also, Mark of Tambl loves getting on a tram for a photo opportunity. He really, he always often starts press conferences by saying, oh, you know I love public transport. It's a strange man. Should say Mesa is, he's often, he's often our fill in host here and. Yes, from the weekly planet,

but more obviously, as the, was my famous tram driver. But the permanent has disappeared. It's crazy. So it wasman has disappeared, it's crazy. So it was the largest ever search and rescue operation, but it was all for nothing. The search was scaled down after five days and officially ended on the 5th of January 1968.

Gillespie was the last person anyone saw Australia's 17th Prime Minister alive, or dead as a body was never found. It's just so bizarre. How it was 58 when he disappeared. And memorial service was attended by 2000 guests at St Paul's Cathedral in Melbourne. Guests included American President, LBJ, the British PM, Howard Wilson and Prince Charles. You put it on monarchy lovers, it'd be appreciating that.

Prince Charles came out I do Look that is that is that is what I hate about the monarchy is is that Australians like wow One of them came out that's one of the things like that's why don't we give a shit? What a dumb thing to hate about I don't think it's worth a wow all right He came to the leader of Australia's funeral What a dumb thing to hate about it. I don't think it's worth a wow All right He came to the leader of Australia's funeral Wow LBJ didn't get a wow. He did not get a well

I love to play role he loves the stacks on I forgot that I was also It's for playing the character of a monochrist on this show. He does love a Staxon, doesn't he? It does, but he loves it. Yeah, Matt, you're an idiot. The world was great. I'm with Jess on this one. Staxon. Wow.

Wow. The Archbishop presenting over the ceremony. The Archbishop came. Wow. His name was Philip Strong. Philip Strong. Wow. And he is said to have spoken of fidelity is the mark of the man's life and work

Which is interesting as it was later found out that Holt was having an extra marital affair with Marjorie Gillespie The last person I've ever seen alive. Oh, no, never see that dick alive. I'm so sorry I'm all done about you j... jick joke now. Dick joke. Um, mine was pretty good. Uh, but Gillespie wasn't the only one. Talking of Gillespie years later, according to Holt Swarth,

she was one of the Q formed on the right. It went on all the time, saying that he had lovers in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Hong Kong, and Portsie. Oh, Holt, you dog! Wow. Yeah. Do you know about that? I did not know.

All I knew about was that he drowned. Yeah, that's all I know about him. And that, I don't know if you'll mention it, that there's a pool in Melbourne named after him. No, I don't know, I'll mention that. I'll leave that to all the comedians, the touring comedians who come to Melbourne. Yeah, I said it.

What do you like Melbourne? I said it to my mum when I was 13, because we had our school swimming carnival at the Harold Hall pool, because it's not far from where we've gone out. That will be interesting, some listeners who don't know that. Yeah, there's a local pool, where is it? It's in the base, I think it's in the southeast.

Yeah, it's like quite near where I grew up. So there's a pool named after the Prime Minister that disappeared at sea and that touring comedian and it's also like a frequent touchstone for like a hack joke to make about a story. So what I'm saying has been, yeah, the number one hack joke of Australia. But I made it to my mom when I was a teenager. Oh yeah.

I'm sure. When you first hear it, it is an amazingly fun thing. It's pretty funny. It's that right. But even my mom just went, like she looked to me and said, you're the really passionate swimmer, Jess. And I was like, Mom, I get it. But.

Bit of compassion, Jess. Appreciate. Too soon, Jess. But you're 12-year-old. It's just made quite a funny observation. Your mom's like, hack. Exactly, my mom, she heckled me. And ever since then, I have just, I have striven

to write a joke that my mother would appreciate. Striven's great if that's a real word. Keep striven. Keep striven. I like it. I'm not saying it's not. Just keep striven. I like it either way.

So, that sort of, that ends his life. It's crazy, because I just wanted to say, imagine the media I would love to see at the time. The Prime Minister has disappeared the front page of the newspaper. People are probably expecting that I'll find him. Yes. I never do that. What a hectic thing.

I can't imagine that would just, obviously that was the biggest news story in Australia, but also huge across the world. It's a real life mystery episode. And then after a few days, people accept that he's not going to... Like that's it. Yeah, they're like, oh, we'll scale this down. But because there was a body was never found.

Under the law at the time, there was no official inquest. They needed to have a body to do an inquest. So there was no state sanctioned. Wow, that is weird. And this led to many conspiracy theories about what happened to Holt. These include is a few few my favorites. Scott Cooper wrote a book that claims Holt was killed accidentally in a botched kidnapping that was related to his plan to increase troops,

troop numbers, in Vietnam. So, he accidentally killed him and then... Right, and then they covered it up. Which I love because that would mean that those four people who tell the stories of watching him go out, swim out there and spending the weekend playing tennis with him and stuff. They were all in on it as well. Another theory claims Holt faked his own death so that he could get away and live with one of his mistresses. Okay, in Hong Kong, or Port-C, which is much closer to where he drowned. There are also many theories obviously that he was taken by UFO. That's my vote.

Obviously. Valentic came along with his upside down plane. Brisbane man Gary Simmons, Gary, so I'm already on board this one. Brisbane man Gary Simmons says that Holt was murdered the night before and he knows this and so he was tasked with getting rid of the body, which he did by towing it out to seed or waiting fishing boat. And I think he says that he did so on the orders from the government or something like that. All right Gary.

So he's towed it out the sea so he's like tied a rope around the leg and just draped it on the back of the boat That is a weird phrasing Hey, do it back to Harold. Oh, yeah, you're dead. He put him on the skis We can't do Bernie's well, that's what I'm gonna say like if he was killed the night before who's that man walking out into the surf He's just on wires. Yeah, being pulled out. That's what it was. That was him towing him out. I know. He's like like old-school puppeteering and saying, I know this surf's like the back of my hand. And then the people are like, there was something strange about how are they? I just can't quite get my finger on. What was going on? The fact that he was face down

in the surf. Traveling along a 60 kilometers from it. It's in the horizon. It was just something strange about it. He's bloody fast. I read that one on this website called mysteriousuniverse.org and this one also comes directly from there. This is a quote, John Keel, who you might remember from a previous episode, wrote in his 1970 book, Operation Trojan Horse, that elementals had foretold of Holt's death in conjunction with the point pleasant silver bridge collapsed just a year earlier. Oh my goodness, oh man.

Kills connecting of Holt and the Mothman prophecies has prompted others to speculate that Holt may have been an alien representative on Earth. The article goes on to say, whether that reasoning bears fruit or not, I'll leave that up to you. No, done. I'm sorry, America. And although a lot of listeners who were aghast

and how unseriously we took the moth man, what the fuck? I love the moth man. So good. Big moth man. Some people were like, wow, I never heard people that like, you know, didn't buy into it before. It's like, really? I never heard people that like, you know, didn't buy into it before. It was like, really?

That's what it meant. Math man? We're the first people to question that. What is wrong with your country? In some ways, it was probably in my delivery at the report. If someone else came in, you know, like that guy who talks about animals or something came in, he was like, Steve Erwin. Steve Erwin came in.

That guy, how dare you say that name? Richard Roxbrot, no, what's his name? We did episode of a David Attenborough. Richard Roxbrot. But maybe the most famous theory was published in a book written by Anthony Gray, a British writer called The Prime Minister Was A Spy. Oh my God. The theory was, and this was told to him in a big chunky manuscript by an ex-naval officer

of Australia. The theory was that Holt had been a Chinese spy for over 30 years. He was not Chinese. And then he's... LAUGHTER Oh yeah. So, I mean, she's all over this theory, yeah. There's a 700 page manuscript and you just debunked it with two words.

Two words into that. He's not a Chinese spy. He's not Chinese. I mean, that's the part of his spot. Oh, he's a spy for China. Yes. Well, you should have been more clear. It's like saying sushi is a Chinese dish.

No, it's not. It's like saying sushi is a Chinese dish. No, it's not. It's like that. You can get it in China, but you wouldn't want to, because it wouldn't be as good. He wasn't a Chinese side. That's very good sushi in China. He was a spy for China. The theory was that he'd been a Chinese spy for 30 years. How deep.

And then he swam out to be picked up by a submarine and taken back to China. Taken back to China where he was originally from? Yes. Because he's Chinese. Yes. How do you know he wasn't Chinese? You hardly heard of him before today, apart from... He drowned.

So, you were saying you've seen pictures of him? Yeah. I mean, I don't mean to assume you're right. Why do you say... That's not him? Yeah, I mean I don't mean to say Matt's not quick to judge like you don't I'm not quick to judge Matt doesn't crush people's dreams he doesn't tell people who he isn't who you're trying to how old Holt could be Chinese If he wanted to be thank you. So that's all I wanted you know right And it's the theory that he's went went into the submarine and lived yes inside the submarine we're taking back the submarine he just one new very strong swimmer pretty strong swimmer like you get how do you

get into a submarine well it from the outside it goes above the wall but somebody would have seen it oh no what he's swam out and dived I think it was about what 14 hundred kilometers and they just he just ducked, I've just... And they picked him up on the other side of Antarctica or something. I don't know how far they're... He swung to China. So how far is that? I can't be that far.

His wife Zara, a little bit of a wag. She laughed off the theory saying that he didn't even like Chinese cooking. Oh my god. Let alone Chinese spying. LAUGHTER I assume that's it. She finished that sentence. And then she took another drink of her rosé. I don't know.

Is there anything the the co-enbrothers film Hail Caesar? There's a scene where they swim out and meet a submarine. Yes. Based on Hulk. Documents. Is it based on Hulk? I never really put the connection together. Oh, I just didn't. based on hold documents is it based on hold that I really put the connection together. In 2005 the Victorian coroner finally opened up an inquiry into Holt's

disappearance. The state coroner Graham Johnston found that Harold Holt drowned at Chevyat Beach and that his body had been either swept out to see or taken by sharks. Taken where do they take it to the submarine to China shark lead us to the body. Where have you buried him. Taken where do they take it to the submarine to China shark lead us to the body? Where have you buried him? There was another Corona interviewed every shark in the area

One of the early theories came from an Indian man and it was and it became a conversation between the Indian government and the Australian government And there was a specific spot where they said they'd find the body buried under the sea in the sand. Apparently that came to nothing either. So you know, the official story is that he drowned because it was super tough conditions. According to the Smithsonian article, this is a quote, quote, quote, quote, quote,

quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, quote, with his friends in privacy. And though he was an experienced swimmer, he'd also been taking pain medications for a shoulder injury at the time. So both under medication also, he's got a shoulder injury. And just six months earlier, he'd almost drowned at the same spot while snorkeling with friends. Oh, God. He's got bloody form. He's also Chinese. So that

is the story of Harold Holt. That is cool, because as Australians, you grow up, sorry, great report. I will say that was really good. As I was easy grow up knowing the Harold Holt drown, but that's bad, to be honest. Yeah, that is the only thing I knew about it. That was a really cool story of his life. And I just, all that, there was a few

of those little side track bits that I was just like, I'll put this in. I mean, really, the topic would have been suggested for the drowning, and I could potentially have done the whole thing about that, but I don't know. I just found all that his political career fascinating. I just didn't know a lot of those things. Even like I would have had 17th prime minister,

I'm like, what was that in the 20s or the 90s? I don't know, we had 17 yet. But yeah, I didn't really, we went through all these ones like caretaker prime ministers and that sort of stuff. And who did suggest this topic? It was actually suggested by Angus Maxfield via email. They wanted to suggest it. But it's a good name.

Real solid name. Thank you Angus. I should say, I don't know if this sort of slightly wraps up something from before but not really. But following Holt's death the next three Primemnesses were all conservative John McHughan was sort of like a caretaker then John Gerton Then John Gorton sorry and then William McMahon who is the father of that actor who was in Nip Tuck Hey, that doesn't really matter and then after that Julian Julian McMahon. Yeah, I did not know that in fact and then

So they were kind of the last of the men'sies, protege, kind of. They're all from that cabinet. And then McMan was been, or the following prime minister was Gough Whitlam, who broke through as the first labor PM in nearly 23 years. So you know, talking about growing up, thinking John Howe's the only, So you know talking about growing up thinking John Howe's the only like not knowing labor Governments. Yeah kids then were full adults who did not like have a year. Yeah true. Which is pretty amazing Anyway, so yeah, that's that's a little addendum. Well, thank you for your report Matthew Very interesting. We do thank you. And we also Who's clever? Who's a good boy? Maybe he's a good boy.

Also like to thank people that support the show via Patreon. Yes. Including everyone that, of course, voted for this topic. It's cool that the Sydney showberg likes packaged people who are keen on this topic. Yes. I found that interesting because I think they are mainly international. Yes, that's kind of cool. Yeah, so that is cool.

And we would like to thank them. But also, if you support support the show via patreon patreon.com such do go on part you can get bonus episodes and Extra little things but also we'd like to thank some of you. I was wondering at first I'm like Jess wanted to tell us how these guys are gonna mysteriously die, but you know, maybe not that maybe you want to give them a ministry at one point Holt was the minister for trade and for something like that. That's right. Great. Thanks for a fun one. And it was a treasurer, but it could be anything. Okay.

Limiter only by your imagination. Right. Well, this is the first person that I would like to thank. Has on what the coolest names we've heard. I say that a lot, but this is a cool name. What's the coolest names we've heard? I say that a lot, but this is a cool name. From Lake Wales in Florida, I'd like to thank Odie Matthews. Odie!

The Minister for Transport. He could be anything! Wow! That is quite an important portfolio. I've had a mix. Sorry. But trains are cool. Trains are great. I mean, you're not just, and it's not just trains. Plains and auto-mobiles.

Hover crafts, hover boards, surf boards, jet skis, walking. Shhh, chairman of the board. Yeah, you've got everything. And then I would also like to thank from Port Saint Lucie, also in Florida. What? I mean, that's crazy, isn't it? Another amazing name.

Elvis Nalasco. That is a planet. We attract the best names. Minister for rock and roll. Oh yeah. Oh, the king. Nailed it. And thank you, Elvis.

Elvis Nalasco. And a sick. Pretty good. That is cool. Wonder what his favorite rock star is Prince Prince. I was thinking Prince matchbox 20 wow really That is the browser in them live. They're fast. I reckon that would have broken his parents heart The parents call him Elvis. Yeah, he's gonna be a cool rock kid. I love Rob Thomas

But I also love it when Rob Thomas went solo and went in with Santana. I did that song about being smooth, called smooth. And it went, you're smooth. And that's the Minister for Rock and Roll. All right. His parents just cried. Thank you, thank you, Odia nervous. I would like to disappoint at your parents' Elvis in this act out anyway. I would like to thank all the way from New Mexico, Jonathan Doolie. Jonathan Doolie, I like it. Let's see the minister the minister for getting down Wow, okay

That's odd Jonathan Dully what what are you? What is it his responsibilities and that what is he looking after? That's still also planes and trains and right just underground tunnels. Yeah, yeah He gets down on the on the rains. Yeah, great So thanks Jonathan Dully and I would also like to thank from Brisbane to bringing it back to the city that we will be visiting in two and a half weeks Same as second gate tickets Isabelle Cox

Isabelle Cox Minister for sex bow The sexual Expo Wow, have you come to that? Minister for sex bow Wow sexual Wow, have you come to that. I don't know it does something something came from that so thank you is about Cox it's about Cox hopefully we'll see you there at the Brisbane show not now The me what sex bow is a very big event cool. It needs a minister It needs to be bloody everyone everyone, close your legs, don't do that tool marriage. So that's the Robert Menzi's way. The Catholic upbringing. That's

the Menzi's frenzy. That's the minister's turn. Don't do it. Hey guys, would you mind if I thanked from Edmonton Alberta in Canada, Dave Draiden. Of course, as we all know, any name with the same first and surname having the same initial is a super cat super heroes, alter ego. Do you know that? Oh yeah. So would he be the super, is the super, is the minister, the super, the minister of supernatural powers and also education. Double portfolio.

Double portfolio. But of course they put the most important one first. Yes. He's very good friends with Dr. Professor Xavier. Dr. Professor Xavier. Excellent. Is it? I don't know.

Jess's own doubt here. I'd also like to thank from Wavelin Utile. Well, it's Tom Novakovic. Novakovic? Novakovic. Novakovic. I reckon it's one of those three. And Tom is the minister for...

Tom is the minister for Doosh. Doosh. No, he's gone wrong. No, no. Doosie means shower in France. He's the minister for waterways. Thanks Tom. Thanks Tom, we need water.

We will do. We also need sexbo, so thank God for his help. Yeah, obviously. Just in the times of drought, don't use too much water. I think, skip your showers to four minutes. And shower the French, shower the neighbor. Good on you. Don't shower the neighbor. That's Tom's message. That was his platform. I'd vote for him. I have in the mind. What? Well that just about brings us to the end of this week's episode. We thank you Matt for your

report. Thank everyone that supports the show at Patreon one more time. Patreon.com starts to do go on pod and If you want to get in contact and suggest a topic at do go on pod on Twitter Instagram and Facebook and email I can email us anytime on do go on pod at gmail.com Please do please we'd love to hear from you even if it's not a suggestion just a hello would be very nice Just say good day or a review on iTunes that really helps the show. Yeah. Yeah Yeah, all right. Yeah, and If you're going out into the beach this weekend and you feel the oceans a bit too much for you

And you've just you know, maybe hurt your shoulder and nearly died in the same spot a month earlier to start Go swim between the flags Not agree with that. Absolutely. No, bloody just go for it. Let's get out of here. Thanks so much guys. Until next time, I will say goodbye.

Later. Bye. Bye. This podcast is part of the Planet Broadcasting Network. Visit PlanetBcasting.com for more podcasts from our great mates. I mean, if you want, it's up to you. I'm jealous of all the country bakeries you'll be experiencing with people that are not me. It's my favorite thing country bakeries. I love this.

I've finally begun for a few Nienish tarts or vanilla slices. I love it. Jelly slice. Oh yeah, my mum makes a mean jelly slice. Dracony could hook me up. Absolutely. I stopped at a bakery on the way home. I was in a polyboe over the weekend and I was driving home.

I stopped at a bakery and lawn. And it was sort of late in the day. They still had some salad rolls there. And I said, oh, give us a cheese and salad roll. She has no problem. It doesn't have any mayo, I want it. Do we want to pop some one?

I said, that would be ripper. It's the service in country bakeries. Oh, that is. You wouldn't get that in a city, baby. That is unheard of. That is. He's the mayonnaise, punch to the face, get the fuck out of the shop. Yeah, fuck you, they'll say. As soon as you walk in. I can have a fuck you.

Get out! Your bloody scumbag. That's what they say. None of them have gone out of business somehow. This city talk, yes. You know what, you've just done. You've just given me a beautiful post-credit story. That is a great secret track. People are gonna be like, what a lovely way to finish the show!

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