Harold Edward Holt was born in Sydney on 5 August 1908.
After studying law at the University of Melbourne, he practised as a solicitor before being elected to Federal Parliament in 1936.
After a thirty-year career in politics, he became Prime Minister following the retirement of Sir Robert Menzies in January 1966.
Holt’s time as Prime Minister was noted in particular for his gradual dismantling of the controversial White Australia policy which had restricted access for migrants of non-European background.
Another major change under the Holt government were two significant changes in the Australian Constitution: power was given to the Federal Parliament to legislate on behalf of the Indigenous people, and the discriminatory clause under which Indigenous people were not counted in the census was removed.
On Sunday 17 December 1967, just one week before the Holt family were due to leave for their Christmas break at Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, Holt went swimming at Cheviot Beach at Point Nepean, not far from Portsea.
After plunging into the notoriously rough surf, Holt disappeared. He was never seen again, and theories as to his fate have abounded since then.
These theories include that he committed suicide, faked his own death in order to run away with his mistress, or that he was a Chinese spy.
Despite an extensive search, neither his body nor any trace of his clothes was ever found. He was officially presumed dead on 19 December 1967.
To see other events that happened in Australian history, visit the blog site of Advance Institute of Business by clicking on this link.
Advance Institute of Business has nationally recogised Certificate and Diploma courses available to help you progress in your career.
The Certificate IV in TESOL will allow you to teach English in Australia and many other countries.
The 10773NAT Certificate IV in TESOL is a nationally and internationally recognised qualification that will allow you to teach English to speakers of other languages in Australia and many other countries.
The practical component can be done in your own country (conditions apply), Vietnam or Cambodia. If you choose to do the practical component in Vietnam or Cambodia, we will provide hotel accommodation at no extra cost.
We have the following Certificate and Diploma courses available for your career development:
Teaching Courses
Business
Leadership and Management
Entrepreneurship and New Business
- Certificate III in Entrepreneurship and New Business
- Certificate IV in Entrepreneurship and New Business
Accounting
We will soon also be offering:
- Advanced Diploma of Business
- Diploma of Human Resource Management
- Diploma of Marketing and Communication
And there will be more courses to come in the future.
Our non-accredited speciality courses:
- Career Paths (43 career paths to choose from)
- Corporate Training
- Business English
- English Tutoring
- University and College Tutoring
- Professional and Academic Writing Skills
- Where to Study in Australia
- Education Consultancy
25% discount on all courses for Centrelink and Veteran’s Affairs recipients.
All courses are nationally recognised through our Registered Training Organisation partner Skills Recognition International (RTO 32373). We also have an advisory service on where to study in Australia.
To find out more about these courses, please click this link to arrange a free video or phone call.
Discover more from Craig Hill
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Craig Hill 
One thought on “December 17, 1967 – Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt goes missing whilst swimming at Portsea, Victoria”