Vale: Sir Charles Court AK KCMG OBE
The business community of Joondalup mourns the passing of one of Australia’s greatest statesmen and one of the ‘founding fathers’ of Joondalup, Sir Charles Court AK KCMG OBE on December 22 2007.
Joondalup Business Association Vice President Russell Poliwka said that one of the many things Sir Charles achieved in his very busy lifetime was the establishment of Joondalup which is now the regional centre and workplace of many of the City’s inhabitants.
“While most of Sir Charles’ achievements were of national stature and focussed particularly on the growth and welfare of Western Australia as a whole, his involvement in the planning and building of Joondalup was perhaps his most significant accomplishment in the eyes of those of us who live, work and operate businesses in this fair city,” Mr Poliwka said.
“While we all accept the daily bustle of our growing metropolis as part of everyday life – the traffic, the people, the buildings, the shops & the businesses, it wasn’t so very long ago it was all bush. If you visited Joondalup (then Wanneroo) in the late seventies and early eighties the
In his Foreword in Professor Tom Stannage’s epic history of Joondalup, Lakeside City – The Dreaming of Joondalup (1996), Sir Charles paid homage to the many significant players of the day including Robert Holmes a Court, the
Sir Charles continued his interest in the growth of Joondalup for many years after his retirement and was always happy to talk to business groups whenever the opportunity arose. He joined his son Richard, then Premier of Western Australia, at the opening of
Sir Charles also said in his foreword “The ‘dreaming of Joondalup’ has become a reality because those who saw the potential believed in it. Each in his or her own way has produced a living thing, the pulse of which will quicken as it is finally honed into a great and distinctive city within a great metropolis. My only regret is that I will not be here in twenty-five or more years to see it in full bloom.”
Thank you Sir Charles.