Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has delivered the most memorable speech at Gough Whitlam's Memorial, calling the 21st prime minister a "friend without peer to the original Australians".
His speech reached a crescendo when he called on the old Monty Python line, "What did the Romans ever do for us?".... and listed what the "old man" had done.
View this video on YouTube
According to Pearson, It was this long list of achievements which had brought modernity to Australia.
We salute this old man for his great love and dedication to his country and to the Australian people. When he breathed he truly was Australia's greatest whitest elder and friend without peer to the original Australians.
There was an immediate outpouring of praise, calling the speech an instant classic.
Apart from all that, what did this Roman ever do for us? Noel Pearson certainly knows how to give a speech.
This speech by Noel Pearson will go down in history as one of the best ever political speeches of our time
I suspect Noel Pearson's speech might be spoken about for years to come.#9Newscomau
Pearson on Whitlam. And now we can weep. #Gough
Noel Pearson’s oratory today will go down as one of the greatest political speeches in Australian history. #Gough
I am absolutely blown away by Noel Pearson. Such power of words. A fitting tribute to Whitlam one of Australia's finest orators.
Sit back, settle in and watch the full version here.
