Sir David Martin took office as Governor of New South Wales on 20th January 1989 but was forced to retire early because of ill health. In fact he died from mesothelioma only three days after retirement, on 10th August 1990. Nevertheless in his short time as Governor he took important steps to explain the office of Governor to the Australian people and to make it accessible.
He appeared in an educational video about the role of the Governor. In this introduction we see a dramatisation of the swearing in of the Governor as well as an outline of the achievements of previous Governors. This is not just a video about a Governor. In many ways it is a video by the Governor and his shaped by his ideas of the office. This becomes clear as he speaks to camera at the end of this extract.
Lest Australians from other states bridle at the unabashed NSW patriotism please note that there is less flogging of the premier state’s tourist attractions in later sections.
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