The Robert Menzies Institute mourns the passing of Tony Eggleton this month.

Tony served as press secretary to then Prime Minister Robert Menzies from 1965-66. Known by Sir Robert as “laddie”, Tony was a loyal servant not just of Sir Robert, but also his successor, Harold Holt, and the Liberal Party more broadly.

As the Navy’s public relations officer, Tony had impressed Sir Robert with his handling of the Voyager disaster in 1964 in which 82 lives were lost. Sir Robert employed Tony without first asking him about his political leanings. Such things did not matter to the longest serving prime minister.

Tony worked for Sir Robert during his last year as prime minister. In December 1965, Tony was one of the first to hear from Sir Robert about his plan to retire from the prime ministership and politics. It was Tony who suggested to Sir Robert that he deliver a retirement press conference on 20 January 1966, ending his 16 consecutive years in the office.

Vale Tony Eggleton, 30 April 1932 − 20 May 2023