It had things that it could do and which I thought were worthwhile: one would be South Africa, of course. And, as I said, I assumed a leadership role within the Commonwealth on that.

I was used on a number of occasions by the United States and China as a conduit. For instance, I was up there talking with the Chinese leadership and they said to me that they were a bit concerned that the Americans had a misunderstanding about their relationship with the Soviets. There was some suggestion that there was a rapprochement developing between China and the Soviets, but nothing could have been further from the truth.

We will not allow to become a political issue in this country the question of Asianisation.

[John Howard] led the Government. They had the numbers, and just basically automatically went along with the Americans.

As far as we're concerned, there was no sporting organisation [that] should have anything to do with the sport in South Africa.

You've got to remember the Cold War was a very real thing then, so the relationship with the United States was very, very important. As was the relationship that I was developing with China: that was something I did very much. And they weren't conflicting things.

Bill Heseltine had been at university with me, at the University of Western Australia. I knew him well.