by Jim Saleam |
It was June 1983 and Anthony Albanese was running for president of the University of Sydney Students’ Representative Council (SRC). He was the official candidate of the Labor Club.
I was also in the race for SRC president, albeit for the nationalist movement, Australian National Action.
One night, I was on campus with three others placing posters, when coming around a corner, we were suddenly upon Anthony and three others pasting for the Labor Club.
Almost at once the three males, who even looked a little bit ‘sporty’, took an aggressive posture, with the usual shouts of “racists out!” and “fascists!”. Anthony was a little more restrained as the others started with the ‘faceoff’, which suggested that an attempt at assault was imminent. I looked at my companions and I saw what they were readying for and I knew what I had to do.
But at that last moment before the anti racist struggle was about to be raised to new heights (sic), the three, almost in unison, screamed something about “idiots” and started to withdraw. Anthony, relieved, followed along.
Now, it is a question as to who the idiots really were. My three comrades were just a few years older than Anthony’s mates, but included two brown-belts in differing martial arts and one bloke who made the title ‘street fighter’ a professional understatement. They blokes said that they were ready to quickly lay out the three would-be heroes, while I restrained the inveterate Labor leader. They would then turn on him and give him a few bitch slaps to teach him manners.
But alas, nothing had happened and Anthony Albanese went on to new levels in Labor chicanery and the nationalists never added to my CV: ‘participated in the beating of a Prime Minister’. Maybe it was just as well. He would have claimed martyr status!
