The End of the Joust
Cartoon by John Frith
The Herald, January 1966
Courtesy of the National Library of Australia
In 1966, following 17 consecutive years of government, Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies retired undefeated. He handed over the reigns of government to his protégé, Harold Holt. The Order of the Thistle can be seen on Menzies’ helmet, while his charger’s blanket advertises his appointment as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
In this cartoon Frith acknowledges his friend’s retirement from politics as Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister.
This website is based on the exhibition, A Brush With Politics, shown at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in 2001.
More information is available on the exhibitions page.