Contribution by:
Suzanne Beswick
10Cp, St Mary's College,
Wellington
Robert David Muldoon was born in New Zealand on September 25, 1921. His father's family came from Northern Ireland, as his name would suggest, and his mother's parents had emigrated from England. Robert's father, Jim, was an accountant and a sportsman. Sadly, Jim Muldoon was wounded while serving in France during World War I. Then in 1929, Robert's father suffered a stroke, causing him to lose his power of speech and the use of one of his arms, and he remained in hospital until he died, almost twenty years later. Robert's mother was left with the task of bringing up their only child during the grim years of the depression. She returned to her trade as an upholsterers, making, among other things, the covers for the chairs at Government House. Robert could remember hearing her sewing machine going at all hours of the night. She also grew her own vegetables and bottled fruit and jam to help make ends meet.
The memory of his humble childhood, and of the hardship of the depression remained with Robert for the rest of his life. He could recall buying specked or damaged fruit for half price and "cadging" broken biscuits from the local grocer. There was also an occasion when one of his classmates brought some jewelry to school, which had been taken from a broken shop window during the Queen Street riots. For all that, Robert generally enjoyed a happy childhood. He spent a great deal of time with his grandmother who frequently took him on outings. She had been a strong supporter of the colourful Prime Minister, Richard Seddon, and it was from her that Robert developed his first interests in politics.
At the age of ten he went to Kowhai Junior High School, which was of New Zealand's first intermediate schools. After only one year at Kowhai he sat the scholarship exam for Mount Albert Grammar School and gained first place. Robert was only eleven years old when he first began to attending secondary school and, even when he entered the forth form, he was still the youngest and smallest boy in the school. He was also no angel. At one time he received so many detentions that there were not enough days left in the year to serve them! He played soccer and cricket at school. When he turned nineteen, he joined the army.
Summary
Robert Muldoon was one of New Zealand's most colourful and powerful political figures. He dominated New Zealand politics for almost twenty years, and his characteristics and political style were familiar to almost all New Zealanders - who either avid admirers or ardent critics. Even after he lost office in 1984 he remained a Member of Parliament and a prominent figure, appearing in television and stage shows, and hosting talkback radio programmes until his death in 1992.