By Eric Martin
Somewhere near Epsilon Eridani in the southern constellation of Eridanus, Vaemar-Riit and his Kzin brethren stood to attention as their creator, iconic West Australian author, poet, lawyer and public personality, Hal Colebatch, was laid to rest aged 74.
Hal Colebatch passed away on 9 September 2019 leaving behind his wife Alexandra; children Katie, Mike, Alexander and Fiona; and his grandchild, James.
Though better known in WA for his other works, Hal’s cooperation on the Man-Kzin Wars for Baen Books made him a household name in science fiction circles in the US, and the lives of his beloved characters filled the pages of the 18 novels set in the universe that he cohabited with other writers, such as Larry Niven and Poul Anderson.
Locally, Hal Colebatch will be remembered for his work as a journalist with The West Australian and The Record: reporting on the building of the Ord River Dam and associated animal rescues with naturalist Harry Butler, a long-time friend; exploring several kilometres of extensions to Easter Cave in the south-west of WA; and later writing many features and book reviews for publications including The Australian Financial Review, IPA Review, The Salisbury Review, Quadrant and The New Criterion.
Or for his work with students, teaching creative writing at Curtin University, political science at the University of Western Australia, torts and contract law at Curtin University, and international law at Edith Cowan and Notre Dame Universities.
Hal Colebatch also worked for the Australian Institute for Public Policy, Debrett’s Publications (as managing editor) and on the staff of two federal ministers – the Hon Sir Victor Garland and the Hon Senator Chris Ellison.
After completing articles with Stone James in Perth, he successfully ran his own law practice, earning admittance to practise law in the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the High Court of Australia as a barrister and solicitor.
Hal was also Chairman of the Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship in Western Australia.
Born in the shadow of his father, West Australian politician and briefly Premier Sir Hal Colebatch (who resigned after just one month in 1919 due to an ethical technicality), Hal junior’s mother was also a formidable woman in her own right, Lady Colebatch, a former Australian Army nurse and daughter of long-time Fremantle mayor and parliamentarian Sir Frank Gibson.
An astute student, Hal received a BA Honours and MA in History/Politics and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Western Australia as well as degrees in jurisprudence and law, working and thriving in all fields during the course of his active life.
Hal biographed his father’s life in Steadfast Knight, published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press (one of the few publishing houses that celebrated Hal’s work), and ended up following in Hal Senior’s footsteps: standing for WA’s legislative assembly in 1977 and 1993 as a Liberal candidate for Perth (though he was unsuccessful).
As well as Steadfast Knight, his work includes eight volumes of poetry, starting with Spectators on the Shore in 1975, and was described in Penguin’s A New Literary History of Australia, published in 1988, as having “a quiet but steady career” in Australian poetry at that time.
Hal’s prize-winning poetry was written in both free-verse and highly structured forms and his subject matter was often Perth and its suburbs, the Swan River and Rottnest Island, or reflections on his travels in Britain, Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere.
His poetry was described as suited for the common man: disdaining “modern” poetry, Hal’s work was easy to comprehend and widely read, enjoyed both by “highbrows” and “lowbrows”.
His book Blair’s Britain was chosen by The Spectator (London) as a Book of the Year in 1999 and in 2014, Australia’s Secret War controversially won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for history: the book details the strike action and purported sabotage by left-wing unions during World War II.
His published prose books include Caverns of Magic (Cybereditions, 2006), a survey of caves in myth, legend and story, and of the development of speleology, and two novels published by Acashic: Counterstrike set in and off WA in the near future, and Time Machine Troopers, a sequel to H G Wells’s The Time Machine.
He was awarded an Australian Centenary Medal in 2003 for services to writing, poetry, the law and political commentary, and is the only person to receive one award for achievements across so many different fields of expertise.
He had such a positive impact within the local community that he was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Nedlands on 30 October 2014, in recognition of his hard work and dedication to the City and community in an outstanding and meritorious manner.
Colebatch was described by Peter Alexander, Professor of English at the University of New South Wales, in his biography of the late SBS football (Soccer) commentator, Les Murray, as being among Australia’s best writers.
When not working to champion a cause or investigate some particularly interesting point of local history, Hal enjoyed sailing and underwater photography on the reefs around Rottnest Island, as well as war gaming with friends: where battles are recreated and refought using painted soldiers on a table-top battlefield.