Rick Farley

Rick Farley
Born
Richard Andrew Farley

(1952-12-09)9 December 1952
Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Died13 May 2006(2006-05-13) (aged 53)
Sydney, Australia
Occupation(s)Politician, Civil rights activist
Political partyAustralian Democrats
MovementAboriginal reconciliation, Indigenous rights

Richard Andrew Farley (9 December 1952 – 13 May 2006) was an Australian journalist, politician and Indigenous Australian rights activist. He was a prominent member of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation.

Career

Farley worked as a journalist for the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin. He became an advisor to the federal Minister for Health in the Whitlam government. He became the executive director of the Cattlemen's Union of Australia and was the chief executive of the National Farmers' Federation for eight years.[1] In 1989, while head of the National Farmers' Federation, Farley and Phillip Toyne of the Australian Conservation Foundation obtained financial contribution from the Australian government towards Landcare. Subsequently, Farley committed his life and his career to the needs of farmers, conservationists and Indigenous reconciliation.[2]

In 1998, Farley was unsuccessful as an Australian Democrats party candidate for the Australian Senate to represent the Australian Capital Territory.[3]

Farley was described as having had "an extraordinary ability to persuade, negotiate and build bridges to gain bipartisan support for the matters he was passionate about".[4]

Personal life

Farley was born in Townsville, Queensland, on 9 December 1952. In 1983, he married Cathy Reade. They had a son, Jeremy and a daughter Cailin.[5] They separated in 1996. Farley went on to date Australian Labor Party MP Linda Burney, then member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

Death

On 13 May 2006, at the age of 53, Farley died after his wheelchair overturned outside Balmain Hospital in Sydney. He had been leaving after undergoing rehabilitation treatment for a brain aneurysm which he had suffered five months earlier.[6] His funeral was held at St Brigid's Church, in Marrickville. The service was attended not only by numerous prominent politicians and celebrities, but also by Indigenous Australians and rural cattlemen and farmers whom he had represented during his career.[7] He was survived by his partner Linda Burney and two children, to his first wife Cathy Reade, Jeremy and Cailin.[citation needed]

Legacy

Farley contributed notably towards the creation of Landcare, an environmental organisation with thousands of volunteers across Australia.[2]

In December 2006, Linda Burney nominated Bush Heritage Australia to establish the Rick Farley Memorial Scholarship to encourage young Indigenous Australians to pursue environmental conservation and cultural management and to honour Farley's career and achievements.[8][9]

A biography, A Way Through: The Life of Rick Farley, by Nicholas Brown and Susan Boden, was published by NewSouth in 2012.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Former NFF boss dies". ABC News. 15 December 2006.
  2. ^ a b c "What happened to brave leaders? A look at the life of Rick Farley". The Conversation. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  3. ^ Simms, Marian (2000). Howard's Agenda: The 1998 Australian Election. Queensland, Australia: University of Queensland Press. p. 147. ISBN 0-7022-3163-0.
  4. ^ "Australia: Australian Landcare Council pays tribute to extraordinary contribution of Rick Farley in establishing Landcare movement". Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  5. ^ Stephens, Tony (23 May 2006). "Tributes flow for Farley". The Age (Melbourne, Australia). p. 7. Mr Farley, who had suffered a brain aneurism on Boxing Day, died in a fall from a wheelchair recently. He was 53... The secular funeral service at St Brigid's Church, Marrickville, was attended by NSW Premier Morris Iemma, a dozen Labor members of federal and state parliaments led by the deputy federal leader, Jenny Macklin, and former Liberal MPs John Hewson, Ian McLachlan and Fred Chaney, a pallbearer... Erin Farley, a niece, stood with his children, Jeremy and Cailin, to tell how he was "incredibly complex" and hated to see others in need.
  6. ^ "Farley's death accidental: police". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  7. ^ "The greatest loss – a life in progress". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 May 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Wandanian man wins scholarship" (PDF). Koori Mail. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Celebrating Rick Farley's legacy". Bush Heritage Australia. Retrieved 19 July 2023.