While he repaired to his rural property at Boree Creek to the north-west of Canberra as often as he could during his political career, Tim Fischer did embrace life in the national capital and refused to join the slanging match against it.
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As tributes flowed for the former deputy prime minister, who died on Thursday aged, 73, one resounding assessment, by biographer Peter Rees, was that Fischer had been a "once-in-a-generation politician", not least for his basic decency.
That decency extended to how he treated Canberra, and its residents, refusing to join other politicians prone to blaming some kind of abstract ''Canberra'' for Australia's woes when they were away from the place.
In a 2000 interview with The Canberra Times, nearly a year after his exit from politics, while being quizzed about the likelihood of him becoming the next governor-general, Fischer, in a typical flourish, instead declared he'd be happy to be known as a roving ambassador for Canberra.
''When we lived here, I enjoyed the ambiance of Manuka, the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, the growing community life of Canberra as it develops a heart and more spirit,'' he said, at the time.
''I don't say I will necessarily take any formal role, but as opportunity permits I will speak up for the IT dimension of Canberra, for the regional role of Canberra, particularly its universities, and I think the nearby bush-walking is under-profiled.
"It's not quite as good as Bhutan, not quite as dramatic as Bhutan, but the Brindabellas are pretty damn good all the same.''
Vale, Tim.
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Megan Doherty
I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au
I like telling local stories and celebrating Canberra. Email: megan.doherty@canberratimes.com.au
