Ken Turner

Booker Bay resident Mr Ken Turner has become a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day 2013 Honours List for his significant service to tertiary education, particularly in the political history of NSW.

Mr Turner, 84, retired from his role as Associate Professor in the Department of Government and Public Administration at the University of Sydney in 1988.

He was Head of Department for almost 10 years during the 1970s and 1980s and a lecturer from the late 1950s to 1988.

He was a member of the Publication Board on the Committee for the Sesquicentenary of Responsible Government in NSW from 1856 to 2006.

He was editor of the Guide to the Records of the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party from 1956 to 1969 and Archives Authority of NSW in 1976 and Revised Edition in 1989.

He was the co-editor of The Governors of NSW 1788 to 2010, Federation Press in 2010, The Worldly Art Of Politics for Federation Press in 2006, The Premiers of New NSW, Volume 1 1856 to 1901 for Federation Press in 2006.

He was also co-editor of The Premiers of NSW, Volume 2 1901-2005 for Federation Press in 2006 and The Wran Model: Electoral Politics in NSW 1981-1984 for Allen and Unwin in 1985 and Guide to the Records of the NSW Division of the Liberal Party 1945 to 1970 for the Library Council of NSW in 1976.

He was the author of book chapters, The People's Choice: Electoral politics in 20th century NSW for Federation Press in 2001, author of House Of Review? The NSW Legislative Council 1934-1968 for Sydney University Press in 1969 and co-author of A History of the Labor Party in NSW 1891-1991 for Longman Cheshire in1991.

He was a member of the Governor Macquarie Bicentenary Committee in 2010, an expert witness in the Parliamentary Committee on Reform of the NSW Legislative Council, during the 1970s.

He also received a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) from Sydney University in 2008.

Mr Turner said he was "very surprised" when he was notified of his award and said he wondered who had recommended it.

"It's one of the nice things that there are people around you that think well enough of you to nominate you," said Mr Turner.

"I think I became a teacher and a university lecturer and professor partly because I wanted to learn it all myself.

"I had a teacher or two that I admired and thought it would be nice to be something like them.

"It wasn't planned or well thought out at all.

"My childhood ambition was to be a high school teacher, I never even dreamed that I'd get to university level.

"I think the thing I enjoyed most about it wasn't just getting ahead but you could be in a team of people where you each contributed something to a worthwhile output and that's what people ought to enjoy in the career," said Mr Turner.

Kaitlin Watts 22 Jan 2012

Interviewee: Kenneth Turner

Media Release, 18 Jan 2013

Stephen Brady CVO, Office of the Governor General