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(soft acoustic music)

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<v ->You are part of, you know, Perth's culture.</v>

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So, I felt like, without being too literal,

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you know, it's always tricky,

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there's a fine line you could cross by putting symbolism

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and too many things in a painting.

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So, I made it very soft and, you know, more suggestive.

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Well, when I was first asked to do the portrait.

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<v ->Yeah.</v>

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<v ->I was very excited,</v>

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from what I'd read,

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and I was just so impressed about your history,

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and then I got to meet Nigel,

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and he kind of went into your background a bit,

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and I don't know, if you can explain to people

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a little bit about what you've,

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you know, where you've been,

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where you've come from.

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<v ->Well, I was born in Perth in 1938,</v>

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just before the war started.

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And I wasn't, of course,

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initially sure what I wanted to do when I was at school.

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So my, I rang my father,

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who was working in the the city and I said,

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"I'm not sure what I want to do."

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And he said,

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"Well Malcolm, why don't you do law?"

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We had no lawyers in the family

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and I was the first in our family

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and extended family ever to even get to university.

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<v ->Wow.</v>

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<v ->And so when I graduated,</v>

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still wasn't sure what I wanted to do,

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I'd thought about a diplomatic career,

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which is why I studied Spanish and French

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while at university.

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And the Dean of the Law said,

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"Why don't you do a two years articles?"

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Which you had to do in order to become a practitioner.

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So I said,

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"I don't know any lawyers, Dean."

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He said, "I'll get you a position."

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He did, he got me a job as an article law clerk

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at the princely sum of £5 pounds a week,

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I was getting at the time.
(Malcolm laughing)

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<v Vincent>Wow.</v>

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<v ->Which was not very high at all.</v>

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So, I supplemented-
<v ->Pay cut.</v>

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<v ->I supplemented that by serving summons</v>

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at that time.
<v ->Really?</v>

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<v ->And at the end of the two years</v>

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I still wasn't sure,

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but I was starting to enjoy the law.

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I was thrown the deep end and doing a lot of things.

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And the principal partner said,

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"Malcolm, would you like to become a partner?"

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And I was 23 at the time.

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<v ->Ah, that's early.</v>

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<v ->And I said...</v>

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It was very early.

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And I said,

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"But Bob, I haven't got any money,

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"I can't buy a partnership."

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And he said,

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"No, no, we'll give you a partnership."

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So it was very generous of him

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and I became a partner in this firm at the age of 23.

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(soft acoustic music)

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After I became Governor,

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which was thrust upon me by surprise,

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the Premier of the State asked to see me

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and I went along

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thinking he had some big legal case to discuss with me.

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(both laughing)

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And so outta the blue, he said,

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"Sit down,"

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and just as well I did,

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and he said,

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"Malcolm, I'd like you to consider

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"becoming the next Governor of Western Australia."

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And I said, um

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"Yes.." I wasn't quite sure.

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<v ->You weren't sure about it.</v>

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<v ->He said...</v>

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No, I wasn't sure.

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In fact, my initial feeling was, you know,

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"How can I get out of doing this?"

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Because I had no idea about becoming Governor

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and I was enjoying,

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I had a very interesting legal practise as barrister,

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getting lots of work.

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He said,

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"Don't decide now, go and talk to your wife."

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(Malcolm laughing)

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So I did and I got back.

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<v Vincent>Got the approval</v>

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<v Malcolm>Got the approval.</v>

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<v ->The reason I paint portraits,</v>

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the reason I really am passionate about and love it

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is because I get this opportunity to meet people like you,

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and I always,

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and I think I've said it before,

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but when I meet someone like yourself

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it's like doing a university degree.

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I just get to,

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and having dyslexia,

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a learning disability,

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I find it hard to absorb and learn,

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you know, like most people.

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And when I hear a story like this,

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it just, you know, you learn so much,

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like I feel being able to paint your portrait

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makes me, I dunno how to explain,

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it makes me a better person.

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Having your portrait painted

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can make someone a little bit self-conscious.

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<v Malcolm>Yeah.</v>

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<v ->You know, especially if you were to sit.</v>

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We didn't do a formal sitting,

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where someone sits in front

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and I paint them from life,

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'cause I feel like it makes people quite uncomfortable.

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But I had a very good insight from your good friend Nigel,

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who also has achieved incredible things,

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and he gave me a very good rundown.

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<v ->Yeah.</v>

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<v ->And you know,</v>

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I did my own research about a lot of things you could say,

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but you can't grasp everything on Wikipedia,

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you know, you need to hear

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someone that matters to the person,

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talk about them,

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and then you remember what they said

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and you hear yourself talk about it,

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and it all gels together.

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(soft acoustic music)

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<v ->What happened</v>

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is that the shark took the front of the ski right off,

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and missed the ski paddler's feet by about this much.

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And I can vouch for that

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because they ultimately managed to salvage the ski

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and it's hanging up in Cicerello's Restaurant in Fremantle,

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(Malcolm laughing)

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with the story about it.

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So, the three of us who were involved in the rescue

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got bravery awards for that.

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I said,

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"You mean stupidity award, don't you?"

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(both laughing)