Fury erupts over ‘woke’ move to cancel celebrated Australian war hero who helped save the nation from a Japanese invasion: ‘Rewriting history’

EXCLUSIVE

An angry scolding has erupted over a portrait of Australia’s most decorated war hero, amid allegations it was removed from a city council meeting room after a complaint it was offensive.

The painting by Sir Thomas Blamey, who served in the First and Second World Wars and is credited with saving Australia from almost certain invasion, had hung prominently in Wagga Wagga’s council chamber for almost a quarter of a century.

However, local MP and former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said he was “absolutely stunned” when he heard it was removed in August after one of the city’s councilors allegedly complained about its presence.

The former Veterans Affairs Minister has now accused the council of being ‘gutsy’ and bowing to ‘token wokism’ after agreeing to move the offending painting.

“Our city is a proud military city – it is the only inland regional center where all three branches of the Australia Defense Force are present,” McCormack told Daily Mail Australia.

‘But an unnamed Wagga councilor apparently took offense to Thomas Blamey’s photo in the council meeting room, asked for it to be removed and, shamefully, this was done.

“To think that an elected representative would object to one of our greatest soldiers is nothing short of an insult.

‘Why? What possible reason could there be to have Blamey’s portrait removed and placed in a broom closet?

“I have always supported our council and its officials… but I am not prepared to accept a war hero being treated this way, and the council trying to rewrite history 70 years after his death.

“It is an insult to Blamey, to everyone who wears a uniform in the ADF today (especially on our own army base), to every veteran, to our garrison town and, quite frankly, to our intelligence services.

‘It seems that nowadays it is somehow acceptable for a shopkeeper to display offensive words and anti-Semitic material in the window of a business in Fitzmaurice Street, yet it is not right for the photo of a homegrown war hero to be displayed in the council chamber of our municipality is shown.

‘This is not how Wagga Wagga should be.’

Sir Thomas was born in 1884 in Lake Albert, south-east Wagga. He was the seventh of ten children born to an immigrant father and an Australian-born mother.

He enlisted in the Australian Army as a regular soldier in 1906, before rising through the ranks and serving as a general in both World Wars, eventually becoming the only Australian to ever reach the rank of field marshal.

Between the wars he served as chief constable of Victoria Police for more than a decade, despite a scandal that erupted just over a month into his reign when his police badge was found during a raid on a Fitzroy brothel.

He later explained that he had given his keys and badge to a friend who had served alongside him in France so he could help himself to some alcohol in his locker at the city’s Naval and Military Club.

His official biography on the Australian War Memorial website notes that for all of Sir Thomas’s military achievements ‘on a personal level, Blamey’s public drinking and womanizing damaged his reputation’.

His lasting legacy is honored with streets and parks named in his honor throughout the country.

A statue of Sir Thomas stands in Melbourne’s Kings Domain, while the square outside the Department of Defense in Canberra is named after him, as is Blamey Barracks at the national Army Recruit Training Center at Kapooka in Wagga.

The controversial portrait of Sir Thomas was presented to the City of Wagga Wagga by the Commandant and all ranks of Blamey Barracks on 26 May 2001 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death.

‘Was he perfect? No,” Mr McCormack said. ‘But who? Wagga Wagga should be forever proud of this man, one of our own.

‘Our country would be a very different place without him and his leadership – he led Australia during both World Wars and we should be forever grateful that his leadership helped prevent a possible Japanese invasion.

‘When all seemed lost at times and there were well-founded fears that Australia would be taken over, Blamey stood his ground.

“The soldier’s home, 1st Recruit Training Battalion in Kapooka, is appropriately named Blamey Barracks in his honor.

“He has a local hotel and a suburban street in Turvey Park named after him.

“But despite all those deserved accolades, he has now become the latest to fall victim to the wokeness that is pervading society.

“Cancel culture has caught up with this hero.”

Mr McCormack said he wanted the portrait to be hung in the council chamber immediately and for the councilor who complained about it to apologize publicly.

“What an insult to Blamey’s memory and what Kapooka does for our city to allow this dastardly act to be carried out in the building there to serve the people of this military city,” he said.

“The unnamed council member who complained would not be the type to stick his head above the ground and defend our nation from our enemies.

“Thomas Blamey’s portrait must be returned to its rightful place in the chambers today.

“And the council member who objected should immediately apologize … and then go do what they were elected to do and fix a few potholes instead of trying to rewrite history.”

That seems unlikely. The council fired back at Mr McCormack when approached for comment by Daily Mail Australia on Monday.

Wagga Wagga City Council chief executive Peter Thompson insisted the portrait had simply been moved to another building where it could be seen by a wider section of the community.

“The Wagga Wagga City Council is immensely proud of its relationship with the Australian Defense Force over the past hundred years,” he said in a statement.

‘The Member for Riverina, the Hon. Michael McCormack, MP, has used the media to criticize the Council, but the content of his comments on the portrait of Sir Thomas Blamey are misleading and untrue.

‘The portrait of Sir Thomas Blamey has never been stored.

‘In August this year, the portrait was exhibited at a different location, in line with the routine rotation of many of our artworks.

“The portrait hangs proudly in our beloved Museum of the Riverina Historic Council Chambers, barely more than 40 meters from its previous location in the council meeting room, which is not open to the public unless a meeting is taking place.

‘The portrait will be given a place of honor in a public museum that is accessible to everyone for free.’

The council did not comment on the claim that the portrait was moved following a complaint from one of the city’s council members.

Mr McCormack refused to accept that the portrait had been moved as part of a ‘routine rotation policy’.

“The portrait of Sir Thomas Blamey has been hanging in the council chamber for 23 years, since it was donated to the city, so it is not routine rotation to take it down for the first time after 23 years,” he said.

“They’re trying to make an excuse because they know what they did is shameful and it’s wrong.”