Sir John Quick Public Lecture series
Who was Sir John Quick?
John Quick was born in Cornwall, England in 1852. In 1854 his family migrated to Australia; his father died shortly thereafter.
At age 10 he entered the workforce, undertaking various manual jobs in mines then progressed to journalism. His drive for self improvement led him to complete a law degree at the University of Melbourne (1874-77) and in 1882 he was awarded a Doctorate in Law.
At this time, Sir John Quick was in charge of the Age Parliamentary staff. He entered politics himself in 1880, winning the Legislative Assembly seat of Sandhurst (Bendigo), which he held until 1889.
Quick's public support for Australian Federation commenced with an 1882 speech to Parliament. As a delegate from the Bendigo A.N.A., he attended the 1893 Corowa Conference where he presented the famous resolution which took Federation's fate away from Parliaments, and gave it directly to the people via elections for representatives and a referendum on the draft Constitution. He wrote the Enabling Bill needed for these stages to occur and also wrote a booklet, A Digest of Federal Constitution (1896), to help educate the public.
Throughout the two referenda campaigns of 1898 and 1899, he addressed numerous public meetings.
Quick's work for Federation was recognised with the award of a knighthood in 1901.
He was elected unopposed as Bendigo's first Federal MP, holding the seat until 1913.
The Sir John Quick Bendigo Lecture has been established to revive the memory of this self-made man who had the forethought and perseverance to promote Australia's union. Quick himself referred to his long devotion to Federation as a 'public duty' he had to perform. Sir John Quick deserves to be recognised as a 'Father' of Australian Federation.
The 2023 Sir John Quick Lecture "What does history tell us about Australians and Referendums?" will be delivered by Emeritus Professor Anne Twomey
When: 6pm - 7.15pm Tuesday 5 September 2023
Where: The Capital Theatre Bendgio
Contact us
Sir John Quick Lecture
La Trobe University
PO Box 199
Bendigo Victoria, 3552
Australia
T: (03) 5444 7222
F: (03) 5444 7777
E: Bendigo@latrobe.edu.au