Sir Robert Gordon Menzies is Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister. He was born in a back room of his father’s grocery store in 1894. At the age of twelve, Robert went to live with his grandparents in the large Victorian town of Ballarat.

On 26 April 1939, Menzies was elected Prime Minister, following the death of former Prime Minister,  Joseph Lyons. World War Two erupted soon after Robert Menzies became Prime Minister.

In August 1941, the party became so divided that Menzies resigned. Many people thought that Robert’s political career was over, but they were wrong. Instead of giving up, he thought about what he did wrong.

In 1949, Robert made a triumphant return to politics, leading his new party to a massive election victory. Menzies held a referendum, hoping Australians would vote to ban the communist party. They didn’t.

Robert Gordon Menzies was knighted in 1963. He was known as a ‘Queen’s man’ because of his loyalty to the British royal family. By the time he retired in 1966, he had led the Liberal Party to 7 election victories. Menzies died in 1978.

I believe that Sir Robert Gordon Menzies will always be a true Australian icon.