Bruce Ruxton
Encyclopedia
Bruce Caryle Ruxton AM
, OBE
(born 6 February 1926) is an Australia
n ex-serviceman and former President of the Victorian Returned and Services League.
, Victoria
. He attended Melbourne High School
.
, the Netherlands East Indies
and Balikpapan
in Borneo
, and for three years he served in Japan with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
, as a rifleman in the 2/25 Australian Infantry Battalion of the 7th Division. He was discharged on 12 January 1949 but was not promoted beyond Private.
In 1975 he received the MBE
, the OBE
in 1981, the AM
in 1996, and in 1997 the Chevalier of Order of Merit
from Jacques Chirac
. Also he received the Légion d'honneur
.
Following two years of ill-health due to viral pneumonia
contracted during a visit to Boer War sites Ruxton resigned from the RSL in June 2002.
(MFP), a Japan
ese funded technology city proposed in 1987 for the north of Adelaide
. Ruxton said it would become "a Jap City".
In 1980 Ruxton achieved national media coverage with his strong criticism of the Northcote City Council
in Victoria, after strongly left-wing Councillors supported a number of policies that were anathema to those traditionally held by the RSL. These included the flying of the Eureka flag rather than the Australian flag from the Northcote Town Hall, and support for an Australian republic. Ruxton claimed 'ethnics and anti-British elements' were responsible for a lack of patriotism. Ruxton was also incensed at the refusal of Scottish-born Councillor Brian Sanaghan to renew his oath of allegiance
to the Queen after being re-elected to the Northcote Council in 1980. Pressure from Ruxton resulted in Sanaghan's place on the Council being declared vacant, for Sanaghan was attending and voting at meetings of the Council's ALP Caucus while not permitted to vote at meetings of the Council itself as he had not taken the oath. Sanaghan later served as an electorate officer for Phil Cleary
, who was for a short time a Member of the Australian House of Representatives
for the Division of Wills
.
Equally notorious was Ruxton's designation of Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu as a 'witch doctor' during the latter's visit to Victoria in 1986, an outburst he later acknowledged that he regretted.
In the 1998 Constitutional Convention for the Republic
he represented monarchist group Safeguard the People. On 31 January 1992, Ruxton stated that the RSL and its membership: "will never agree to this country becoming a republic. We are proud to be associated with the Queen, who is our patron, and who, as this country's head of State, has never once put a foot wrong. Show me a politician with such a record." Ruxton has consistently argued that the Australian flag and the Queen, as our head of state, guarantee that Australia will remain a free democracy, and that a republican form of government in Australia could become totalitarian.
In 1991, Ruxton appeared on the Nine Network
's Midday
television show with host Ray Martin
, to advocate Australia remaining a monarchy
, in a live televised debate with singer Normie Rowe
and radio broadcaster Ron Casey
. The debate got out of hand, with Normie Rowe and Ron Casey physically brawling on live TV. The following day, Ruxton said: "As for Ron Casey, he deserved a good punch in the nose. He certainly did not do his cause any good. We have enough problems to fix up without arguing and fighting over whether Australia should become a republic."
(and later in Fast Forward), Bruce Rump, was based on him. Bruce Rump would rant in a voice similar to Ruxton's, sometimes reaching a violent frenzy and ending with the non sequitur
"... and that's why we should keep the bloody flag the same!" The send ups of Bruce Rump would often also be send ups of long running Australian children's TV series Romper Room, referred to as "Rumper Room".
Ruxton made fun of himself by releasing a rap single, in which he lampooned his own persona. A song by Melbourne punk
band Res-Heads was named after Ruxton. http://www.mp3.com.au/track.asp?id=24565
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 6 February 1926) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n ex-serviceman and former President of the Victorian Returned and Services League.
Early life
Ruxton grew up in KewKew, Victoria
Kew is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Kew had a population of 22,516....
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. He attended Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a selective entry state school for boys in years 9 to 12 located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra. Being a selective school, it is known mainly for its strong academic reputation...
.
War service
Ruxton enlisted in the Australian Army on 22 February 1944 and served in the Second World War in the South West Pacific AreaSouth West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatres of World War II, during 1942–45...
, the Netherlands East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
and Balikpapan
Battle of Balikpapan (1945)
The Battle of Balikpapan was the concluding stage of the Borneo campaign . The landings took place on 1 July 1945. The Australian 7th Division, composed of the 18th, 21st and 25th Infantry Brigades, with support troops, made an amphibious landing, codenamed Operation Oboe Two a few miles north of...
in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, and for three years he served in Japan with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force , was the name of the joint Australian, Canadian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 21 February 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952...
, as a rifleman in the 2/25 Australian Infantry Battalion of the 7th Division. He was discharged on 12 January 1949 but was not promoted beyond Private.
Representing the war veterans
After his war service, he became a vocal spokesman on behalf of war veterans and their families, ensuring they received their pensions and entitlements. As the Second World War veterans grew older, he lobbied on their behalf regarding issues such as nursing homes and retirement accommodation.In 1975 he received the MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1981, the AM
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in 1996, and in 1997 the Chevalier of Order of Merit
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
from Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
. Also he received the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
Following two years of ill-health due to viral pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
contracted during a visit to Boer War sites Ruxton resigned from the RSL in June 2002.
Advocacy
Along with RSL National President, Brigadier Alf Garland, Ruxton was a staunch opponent of the Multifunction PolisMultifunction Polis
The Multifunction Polis was a controversial proposal for a planned community in Australia first proposed in 1987 which was abandoned in 1998....
(MFP), a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese funded technology city proposed in 1987 for the north of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. Ruxton said it would become "a Jap City".
In 1980 Ruxton achieved national media coverage with his strong criticism of the Northcote City Council
City of Northcote
The City of Northcote was a Local Government Area located about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1883 until 1994.-History:...
in Victoria, after strongly left-wing Councillors supported a number of policies that were anathema to those traditionally held by the RSL. These included the flying of the Eureka flag rather than the Australian flag from the Northcote Town Hall, and support for an Australian republic. Ruxton claimed 'ethnics and anti-British elements' were responsible for a lack of patriotism. Ruxton was also incensed at the refusal of Scottish-born Councillor Brian Sanaghan to renew his oath of allegiance
Oath of allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to monarch or country. In republics, modern oaths specify allegiance to the country's constitution. For example, officials in the United States, a republic, take an oath of office that...
to the Queen after being re-elected to the Northcote Council in 1980. Pressure from Ruxton resulted in Sanaghan's place on the Council being declared vacant, for Sanaghan was attending and voting at meetings of the Council's ALP Caucus while not permitted to vote at meetings of the Council itself as he had not taken the oath. Sanaghan later served as an electorate officer for Phil Cleary
Phil Cleary
Philip Ronald Cleary is an Australian commentator on politics and sport, particularly Australian rules football, and a former independent politician elected at the 1992 Wills by-election.-Football playing career:...
, who was for a short time a Member of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
for the Division of Wills
Division of Wills
The Division of Wills is an Australian electoral division of Victoria. It is currently held by the Australian Labor Party's Kelvin Thomson.The electorate encompasses many of the suburbs in the City of Moreland in Melbourne's north, including Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner, Glenroy, and Essendon Airport...
.
Equally notorious was Ruxton's designation of Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu as a 'witch doctor' during the latter's visit to Victoria in 1986, an outburst he later acknowledged that he regretted.
In the 1998 Constitutional Convention for the Republic
Constitutional Convention (Australia)
In Australian history, the term Constitutional Convention refers to four distinct gatherings.-1891 convention:The 1891 Constitutional Convention was held in Sydney in March 1891 to consider a draft Constitution for the proposed federation of the British colonies in Australia and New Zealand. There...
he represented monarchist group Safeguard the People. On 31 January 1992, Ruxton stated that the RSL and its membership: "will never agree to this country becoming a republic. We are proud to be associated with the Queen, who is our patron, and who, as this country's head of State, has never once put a foot wrong. Show me a politician with such a record." Ruxton has consistently argued that the Australian flag and the Queen, as our head of state, guarantee that Australia will remain a free democracy, and that a republican form of government in Australia could become totalitarian.
In 1991, Ruxton appeared on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's Midday
Midday
Midday is a television show that aired on Australia's Nine Network from 1985-1998. The show aired, like its title suggests, at noon on every weekday and was a 90 minute variety programme with international and local guests. It featured interviews, musical performances and comedy spots...
television show with host Ray Martin
Ray Martin (television presenter)
Raymond George "Ray" Martin AM is an Australian television journalist. He is best known for his various on-air roles on Channel Nine from 1978 to 2008. In 2011 he returned to 60 Minutes....
, to advocate Australia remaining a monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, in a live televised debate with singer Normie Rowe
Normie Rowe
Norman John "Normie" Rowe AM was a major male solo performer of Australian pop music in the 1960s. Known for his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence, many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Pat Aulton, house producer for the Sunshine Records, Spin Records and...
and radio broadcaster Ron Casey
Ron Casey (Sydney broadcaster)
Ronald Arthur Casey, OAM, was a former colourful television presenter, sports journalist and talk-back radio host based in Sydney, Australia. His nickname was The Case....
. The debate got out of hand, with Normie Rowe and Ron Casey physically brawling on live TV. The following day, Ruxton said: "As for Ron Casey, he deserved a good punch in the nose. He certainly did not do his cause any good. We have enough problems to fix up without arguing and fighting over whether Australia should become a republic."
Popular culture
A character originally from Australia You're Standing In ItAustralia You're Standing In It
Australia You're Standing In It was an Australian sketch comedy series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, first screened in 1983 with a second series made in 1984.-Cast:...
(and later in Fast Forward), Bruce Rump, was based on him. Bruce Rump would rant in a voice similar to Ruxton's, sometimes reaching a violent frenzy and ending with the non sequitur
Non sequitur (absurdism)
A non sequitur is a conversational and literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is a comment that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what it follows, seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing....
"... and that's why we should keep the bloody flag the same!" The send ups of Bruce Rump would often also be send ups of long running Australian children's TV series Romper Room, referred to as "Rumper Room".
Ruxton made fun of himself by releasing a rap single, in which he lampooned his own persona. A song by Melbourne punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Res-Heads was named after Ruxton. http://www.mp3.com.au/track.asp?id=24565