Dick Boyer : an Australian humanist

Abstract

Sir Richard Boyer, K.B.E., Dick Boyer to all who knew him, was a man of many careers. First Methodist minister stationed in Canberra, pioneer of a western Queensland sheep-run, humanist and internationalist, and finally chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Commission during the critical years between 1945 and his death in 1961, Boyer attempted to put into practice the classic principles of liberalism in the pragmatic realities of Australian public life. This biography attempts to show how Boyer{u2019}s liberalism survived in the face of government and public pressures. Throughout his years with the A.B.C., Boyer fought against constant interference from politicians and others who wished to influence the A.B.C.{u2019}s policy. He died fighting his last battle for this freedom. Though primarily a portrait of a man, this book is also an account of the A.B.C. and of the struggles and clashes of personality inevitably involved in the life of such an organization. Boyer{u2019}s years as chairman covered the critical period of the introduction of television to Australia, an event which had a profound effect on Australian society. Show more