Chief Justice Mason, an elderly gentleman who rarely speaks on the record, wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald about the events leading up to the November 1975 dismissal soon after I met him. In 2012 he stated:

"I played no part at all in the preparation of Sir John's statement of decision, nor was I asked to do so, though I prepared, at his request a draft letter terminating Mr Whitlam's commission [which Sir John did not adopt]."

We can catalogue photos and delete hard drives, but we can't rewrite history.

What we can do is acknowledge wrongdoings and learn from the past to ensure our future is fairer and more just.

We can also hold those responsible to account, try to forgive, and recognise that history is written by those "in the arena".

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