The Many Lives of Kenneth Myer
By Sue Ebury, Miegunyah Press, 621pp.
Reviewed: 12 December 2008
Even in egalitarian Australia, private philanthropy underwrites many of our prized cultural institutions.
Kenneth Myer’s contribution to public life began soon after his return from wartime naval service which had taken him to China and Japan, as well as formative experiences in the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. With his younger brother Baillieu (‘Bails’) he set up the Myer Foundation (via a special Act of the Victorian Parliament) along the lines of philanthropic foundations he had observed in the USA, as a tax-effective vehicle for either public or anonymous support for worthy causes.
Myer supported a truly impressive range of institutions through the Foundation, through personal donations, and through highly active participation in boards and committees. His earliest involvements were with the ANU’s John Curtin School of Medical Research and the development of Asian Studies, which became his life-long special interest.
Later he was instrumental in the founding of the Department of East Asian Studies at Melbourne University, and in securing the independence of the Howard Florey Institute for medical research, also in Melbourne.
Kenneth Myer’s personal legacy is obvious in the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne's Alexandra Gardens, but few now would realize what an important role Ken Myer played over three decades in development of the National Gallery of Victoria, the Victorian Arts Centre, the construction of the National Library whose Council he served on for twenty years from 1960 and chaired for seven. In his final years living in Sydney he gave major financial support to the Asian art collections of Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Power House Museum. He had also played a supportive role in establishment of the National Film and Television School.
To a general reader this book provides many insights into the way big things can be done in Australia. Mostly, it seems to be by maintaining the right networks and connections, and by seeding bold public initiatives with personal commitment of time and funds – what Ken Myer called “risk philanthropy”.
Richard Thwaites studied in the Myer-supported East Asian Studies Department at Melbourne University, and later was on ABC program staff during Ken Myer’s chairmanship.
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