Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 9 : Construction of the cultural centre, 1977-1981

.. when the centre Is com– pleted and bear Dame Joan Bu!JIINnd llnl In the concert hall and watdl The IA~ Ballet dance In the i.,rtc Theatre.- The . fact that Sir Da• Yid hu "llablad" the J)J'Oject IUOl!I rlrht horn thebetliM!nrla-of the ,ruaon, he'• kllOwn around tbe r1daW u "llr Ogl&uN," thou"1 perbaJII Sir CUiture -id Ila - approprl&te. Dlplomat Bir Davl4 polnta aut t11at hll tn\'Ol.-it With culture tieran ians lllrcn anyone thaullll of a cul• tunl-U.. •rv. a1nJa anJo,ed a UWe theatn" he aid. He - foundation chairman of the Queeneland Theatre Canpany. The completion of the bulldln, will not -· aarllY - the end of the raad tor the man who man, UY la the rreatat dlpi-& to haw emerred from the Q\INDlland publlc Nr• vloe. And anyway, he aa:,s he d-'t want to ntlre. :Aa chalmllln or the Qu..naland Oultural Omk9 'fMt, 8Jr David I.IYlrtalllrldnlofallhe l1IJW'9 on eltber lldl of Kelbclume 11a11t. loath Brllbanl, There uw ~ tnaRI -ninr the per– formlq aria ~ rallel7 and m-. but the OIIIW trul& II Ule 111• preme -. havtnr -· plete control at the fflb,, rte, runntnr and mainte• nance or the -a,ta. ltl reataurant and ftl'IOIII eatertee dotted MIWld the~. It'I a Job Sir David too11: on w11en he ~re– tlnd" IUlllr 1111a ,-r from the pubUe • enlcl. He hall apent the two r•n rwuuns 111) to hi.I 11th blrthdq a • 11tat. ombudlman. Befcn Ul&C tie 1111d b • en Cllalrmui of tlie Publle lllnloe JloNd. DI• NCtor of l'.ldll&rlal De• .,.~ and dl&lnmn of the Illdu • tdea Alll • - tance Board. Before · that aratn he had • pent 11 ,-rs In Londan u Queensland Apnt-(JeneNI, "I WU 16 when I 11911& over. TIie )'Olllll9lt apnt 1!9118ral ever from Aa • tr • Ua. It' • a record I • tl11 hold," ht Hid, At 32 he WU a1IO the Jl)Unpst peram to be ap. pointed pennanent held of tht Premier' • DIP&ri– ment. '"1'hat WU a delflllftUI poattton," he Mid. "You'ff oloee to JIOW!!:, If you rive advice and tt'I accepted It malrel ,au feel pretty rood," Sir DavJd WU bom In BrlKbane, and 111ent hla first 25 years at Kanr• aroo 'Point. His father, was a bollermRker work– Ing for the City C',ouncll and "t 92 Is still hale and hearty and loolclng arter the garden at the Muir home. School He went to State Com• merolal HIib and says the achool "produced a plethora of people who became permanent headl.w That's where he met his wife, Joan. ''She would read the editorials In the pa,pera to me, so I could JN!t my ahorthand speed up," he !Bid. His two children, ,Be• V'-rley and Peter. 'l•ho are both mRrrled. are both unlversltv graduAtes. Be– verley. who hu two chi!• dren. Is • geolog'lst and ahe married a l'f!Olocrlst. Peter Is following In his father's footsteps and Is a Commonwealth Pub· lie Service lnspeclA>r In Melbourne• Sil DAVID MUii ln$pltding progress at the Cultural Centre yes- . terday. · 81r DaYld belleftl that 1111portunltJ knoe111 at !tut once for -,llody. "I toot advantace of ff• •rY one thN came alonr." he aid. •I'ft bad - fantu• tic ~ I WU In London when the Kina died. l ftllt to two royal wddlnra, Prtn-. Kar• raret'a and ~ Al• nandra·a. I na In llnr• land when t.he Brltl.lh 'Empire became the eom. IIIOIIWealt.h." Bf allo had to III Into Cuba rl1ht In the middle of tha CUban mlulle crilla to ~late au1ar ulea 'l'lth Nel Outro. And be once had to ro Into Sotheby'a With a command from the Queenallnd Clom'nment to •~on pa~ the De Vahl Reuben eolleoUon for the Queenatand an pllery. Sir David thlnu IU\ or hi.I Ill!._, hu Ileen hll wllll!IIMR to .-e around and not •tar In the 0114 poaltlon far W Ion,.