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Sir Sydney Henry (Randal) Heymanson (18 April 1903 – 27 August 1984) was an Australian journalist who had a long career as an international correspondent for '' The Herald'' and its affiliated Australian Newspapers Service, based at first in London and later in New York City.


Early life and education

Sydney Henry Heymanson was born at
South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popu ...
,
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
, Australia, in 1903. His parents were Frederick Leopold Heymanson and Bertha McDonnell Heymanson. His father worked as a commercial traveller. After his early education at All Saints' Grammar School in East St Kilda and the
Melbourne Church of England Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denomination ...
, he was awarded a scholarship to the
University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...
, where he graduated with first-class honours in 1924. At university, he won prizes in history, political science, and political economy and was elected editor of the ''
Melbourne University Magazine Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metr ...
''. After finishing his university studies in Melbourne, Heymanson worked as a history master at his grammar school. In 1925, he was a founder and first editor of the University of Melbourne's
student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repo ...
, ''
Farrago Farrago is a Latin word, meaning "mixed cattle fodder", used to refer to a confused variety of miscellaneous things. As a name, it may refer to: * ''Farrago'' (plant), a genus of plants in the family Poaceae * ''Farrago'' (magazine), student newsp ...
''. In 1926, he traveled to England, where he enrolled as a doctoral student at the
London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
, studying under
Arnold Toynbee Arnold Toynbee may refer to: * Arnold Toynbee (historian, born 1852) (d. 1883), British economic historian * Arnold J. Toynbee (1889–1975), British historian and author of ''A Study of History'' {{hndis ...
. To support himself in London, he worked as a lecturer in the extension program of the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...
and as a reporter for ''The Herald'', which had a staff in London.


Career

Heymanson abandoned academia and turned his attention to journalism, becoming European correspondent for ''The Herald'' and the Australian Newspaper Service, as well as supplying articles to British newspapers. As an early commentator on the rising power of
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in Germany, he warned of the possible approach of war. In July 1939 he collaborated with
Roy Lewis Roy Lewis (6 November 1913 – 9 October 1996) was an English writer and small press printer. Life and work Although born in Felixstowe, Lewis was brought up in Birmingham and educated at King Edward's School. After studying at University ...
to start a newsletter called ''Vital News'' that they distributed confidentially to British and American government policymakers and bankers until December 1941. In 1940, Heymanson, who was by then using the first name of "Randal", accepted
Sir Keith Murdoch Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch (12 August 1885 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian journalist, businessman and the father of Rupert Murdoch, the current Executive chairman for News Corporation and the chairman of Fox Corporation. Early life Mur ...
's invitation to start a New York bureau for ''The Herald'''s Australian Newspaper Service. Murdoch wanted to start a New York bureau because of his hope that the United States would enter
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in support of the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
and because he regarded connections with the United States as strategically important for Australia. Heymanson was based in New York for the rest of his life. In addition to serving as editor and manager for the Australian News Service's New York bureau, he developed extensive networks of professional and personal connections in the United States. He was a member of the
Foreign Press Association of New York Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...
, of which he was president in 1942–43, the
White House Correspondents' Association The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by journalists in response to an unfounded rumor t ...
, and the National Press Club of Washington. In 1946 he and Keith Murdoch participated in a meeting with U.S. business leaders that led in 1948 to the establishment of the
American Australian Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
for the purpose of fostering understanding and cooperation between the United States, Australia, and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...
. As one of the organisation's principal founders, he served the American Australian Association as a director from 1948 to 1984, vice-president from 1949 to 1965, president from 1966 to 1967, and chairman from 1967 to 1984. His leadership played a significant role in fostering opportunities for prominent businessmen, politicians and diplomats from Australia to interact with their American peers. Australian Prime Minister
Sir Robert Menzies ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only a ...
called him "the best informed Australian living in America". He retired from his position as New York bureau chief for ''The Herald'' in 1969, but continued to contribute to ''The Herald'' and other members of the Australian Newspapers Service until his death in 1984.


Honours and awards

In recognition of his services to Australian journalism and his contributions to fostering friendship and cooperation between the United States and Australia, in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1955 Heymanson was appointed an
Officer of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
''for services in connection with Australian commercial relations with the United States of America and in promoting international commerce''. In the New Year Honours 1965 Heymanson was promoted to
Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
. In the New Year Honours 1972 Heymanson was appointed a
Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...
.


Death and legacy

Heymanson died in New York City on 27 August 1984. His ashes were returned to Australia. His large library was divided between
Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asia ...
, which received approximately 20,000 volumes from his personal library, and the
National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited ar ...
, which was given more than 25,000 volumes on
western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...
and oriental art, the history of costume and fashion, and the art of the book. He left a large
financial endowment A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are o ...
to the
medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...
of the University of Melbourne for the establishment and maintenance of the Sir Randal Heymanson Foundation, to be devoted to research on
pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heymanson, Randal 1903 births 1984 deaths Alumni of the London School of Economics Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Journalists from Melbourne University of Melbourne alumni The Herald (Melbourne) people Australian expatriates in England Australian expatriates in the United States People from South Yarra, Victoria People educated at Melbourne Grammar School