“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”
That sentence became the thread.
It followed him into engineering, when King’s Bridge collapsed in Bendigo and a man died. Monash was found free of blame. He rebuilt the bridge at his own financial ruin. The bridge still stands.
It followed him into war. Monash privately loathed the waste and horror of it. At Hamel, he planned with such precision that the battle achieved its objectives in 93 minutes.
It followed him into prejudice. Men tried to remove him from command because he was Jewish. Monash named the campaign for what it was — a pogrom — and answered it with preparation, discipline, and performance.
It followed him home. As Director-General of Repatriation and Demobilisation, Monash returned 160,000 soldiers in nine months. He also insisted they be educated on the journey, because Australia needed men ready for civilian life and national service.
And it followed him to Yallourn.
Here, in the Yallourn Production Centre, Monash worked on one of the world’s great engineering and civic projects. Brown coal with 66% water content became the basis of Victoria’s electricity system. From this site, on 15 June 1924, power generated from brown coal reached Melbourne.
The Golden Thread is the name we give to the values that held through all of it.
• Repair what is broken.
• Think from first principles.
• Protect life.
• Serve the community.
• Prepare twice as hard when the world gives you half the room.
Monash received these values through his Jewish heritage. The museum names that source with honour.
The universal principles behind those values are available to anyone willing to carry them.
That is what the Sir John Monash Museum exists to show.
The values of great people are available to you.
The question is what we will do with them.
