2LT Local News
Former Lithgow train driver who became prime minister of Australia remembered
Sep 27, 2017
The man who went from being a train driver at Lithgow to being treasurer and prime minister of Australia was remembered on Saturday night. The annual Light on the Hill Dinner in memory of Ben Chifley, held at Bathurst Panthers, was a sell-out event. Deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek delivered the Light on the Hill address. Ben Chifley was treasurer under prime minister John Curtin during World War II, and in July 1945 took over as prime minister after Curtin died. Chifley, one of Australia’s most popular leaders, died in 1951. 40,000 people attended his funeral in Bathurst.
