Lumen Summer 2016 - Flipbook - Page 7
intellectual giant
D
uring a rich and diverse career
which spanned multiple
disciplines, Hugh inspired
generations of students and colleagues
with his measured determination for
change and deep commitment to make
the world a better place.
He died on 18 July 2015 at the age
of 91 leaving a legacy that covered
history, economics, political theory,
social policy and justice, housing,
urban planning, public finance and the
role of governments.
Born in Melbourne in 1924, Hugh
graduated with degrees in arts and law
from the University of Melbourne in 1946
and was a Rhodes scholar and graduate
of Princeton University.
He then taught at Balliol College,
Oxford before leaving Britain in 1954 to
take up an appointment as chair of the
history department at the University of
Adelaide. Just 29, Hugh was the youngest
professor in Australia at that time.
He presided over the department’s
rapid expansion during the 1950s
and 1960s, shaping its teaching and
research programs, and attracting
historians of international stature.
In 1968 Hugh stepped down from
his position to become a Reader in
History so he could devote more time to
writing. He was soon making a landmark
contribution to the social sciences
through his seminal book The Political
Sciences (1969). Key later works
included Ideas for Australian Cities
(1970) which captured the imagination
of urban policymakers and practitioners
looking for insights into the complexity
and richness of Australian suburban life.
He built on this theme in 1974 through
the ABC’s Boyer Lectures, focusing on
housing and government, and two years
later was awarded The Age Book of the
Year award for Capitalism, Socialism
and the Environment, a book well ahead
of it’s time. This was followed in 1978
by his internationally focused Urban
Planning in Rich and Poor Countries.
Hugh not only wrote with great
compassion and insight about suburban
Australia, he also engaged in the
policy process as Deputy Chair of the
South Australian Housing Trust for 17
years where he was able to put his
progressive ideas into practice.
In 1989 he retired from his role as
Reader of History but remained active
as a Research Fellow in Economics,
generating important works, including
Public Goods, Public Enterprise, Public
Choice (1994) with Lionel Orchard
and Economics: a new introduction
(1999) which offered both teachers
and students a pluralist alternative to
commonly available economics texts.
Hugh’s exceptional career is marked
by a lifetime of significant achievements
– an extraordinary contribution which
saw him voted one of Australia’s 10
most influential public intellectuals.
He will be remembered as one of the
nation’s finest progressive polymaths,
thoughtful and generous, modest and
charming, witty and warm. Hugh is
survived by his wife Pat and children
Simon, Fabian, Tim and Sally.
There are only a few
lecturers that stand out in my
mind. Hugh Stretton, without
a doubt, stands above them
all. Both what he had to
say and how he said it was
engaging. One couldn’t help
but listen. With Stretton
there was a complete absence
of any sense of superiority.
Not a condescending air to
be found.
Stretton honoured
with new centre
The lifetime achievements
of Hugh Stretton are being
remembered through a
new regional innovation
centre in Adelaide’s north.
The Stretton Centre is a focal point for
collaboration between researchers,
industry and government with a
particular focus on the economic and
social wellbeing of the northern suburbs.
The centre is the result of a broad
partnership which brings together
the City of Playford, University
researchers, Renewal SA, and State
and Federal governments.
The Stretton Centre is purpose built
to support the development of
industry and workforce development
collaborations designed to boost
employment opportunities in potential
high growth sectors.
Find out more at
www.adelaide.edu.au/wiser/stretton
Amanda Vanstone, former Federal
Government minister. (Extract from Pasts Present:
History at Australia’s Third University, 2014.)
The University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 5
