Sir Henry Parkes, known as the Father of Federation, is an important character in Australian history.
He played a key role in the federation of Australia which was formed in 1901. This means that Australia would be a nation that could make its own laws and not have to follow the laws of Britain. This is important because it means we could have our own parliament to pass laws and govern on things that are important in Australia, not England. In other words, we became independent.
We all like the story of Henry because he shows us how you can become anything you wish through hard work, and determination. He was born in a poor family and with a little bit of education; he rose to become premier of NSW. He also shows us how ideas are powerful and that dreams can come true if you believe enough in a cause and work towards it. For example, I want to work in thinking up ideas for gaming, everyone thinks this is not a real job but others do it for a job so there is no reason why I couldn’t do it also.
