By Brendan Rees
Former Prime Minister John Howard received a hero’s welcome as he walked through Westfield Fountain Gate Shopping Centre in Narre Warren on Friday 9 November.
Shoppers were left star struck as hundreds of people gathered around Mr Howard who joined Opposition Leader Matthew Guy in helping him with his campaign ahead of this month’s state election.
Mr Guy held his wife Renae’s hand as he toured the shopping centre with Mr Howard, flanked by the Liberal candidate for Narre Warren North Vikki Fitzgerald, Liberal candidate for Narre Warren South Susan Serey, and the Liberal candidate for Cranbourne Ann-Marie Hermans.
Dressed in a pinstripe navy blue suit, and a navy and white tie, complete with a poppy on his jacket, Mr Howard was beaming with a smile, as he spent about 30 minutes wandering through the shopping centre, taking selfies and shaking hands with everyone from to shoppers, bystanders and staff – leaving a smile on many faces. Some even offered him a coffee.
“Good to see you, how’s business? Mr Howard said as he passed shopkeepers. “It’ll be even better when Matthew Guy becomes the Premier.”
Manager of Twisted Sista café Linda Browne was overwhelmed by Mr Howard saying hello. “I love him. I’m old school, he’s my favourite. I was a little bit chuffed I needed a smile.”
“We were all star struck seeing the man himself,” manager of Pretty’s Prime Cuts Brenton Merchant said. “I was very surprised.”
Team members from the Bank of Melbourne also said: “I was nice to meet an ex-Prime Minister and it was really nice to be acknowledged.”
Mr Howard’s press conference was momentarily disrupted after a man was pulled aside by security when he confronted My Guy seeking answers about the separation distance between houses and the Bald Hills Wind Farm in the state’s north-west.
“The Liberal Party and Labor Party are equally responsible, and the Greens,” he shouted. “They’re completing ignoring the separation distance.”
Mr Howard gave praise to My Guy’s campaign, saying he was “going very well.”
“I think Matthew’s campaign has been very well judged. He’s focused on issues that are of relevance to the average Victorian family, cost of living issues and certainly the feelings of concern about the level of crime,” he said.
Mr Howard said there’s “no doubt around the country there is a view” that Victoria had “real challenges” with crime.
With the election polls favouring Labor for a win, Mr Howard said: “I’ve seen polls being defied before, happens a lot.”
He added he was bothered that the Labor State Government was union dominated.
“Now, I’ve got nothing against unions as such but I’ve got a lot against union domination…there’s no doubt that Andrews is suborned by the union movement,” he said.
Ms Hermans said it was fantastic for Mr Howard to visit. “It was awesome to have John Howard out here, he’s one of the most love Prime Minister’s in the history of Australia.”
Ms Fitzgerald also said it was “great to have that level of support from such a statesman.”
