On 19 December 1967, Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt was officially presumed dead after disappearing while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria. In 1966 Holt became the 17th Prime Minister of Australia, after a long political career including many years as a senior Cabinet Minister. He was the third Australian Prime Minister to die while in office.

On Sunday 17 December 1967 Holt went swimming at Cheviot Beach, although the surf was heavy and the beach was notoriously dangerous. He soon disappeared from the view of his companions, who raised the alert. Within a short time, the beach and the water off shore were being searched by a large contingent of police, Royal Australian Navy divers, Royal Australian Air Force helicopters, Army personnel from nearby Point Nepean and local volunteers. This quickly escalated into one of the largest search operations in Australian history, but no trace of Holt could be found. Two days later, the government made an official announcement that Holt was thought to be dead. The Governor-General Lord Casey sent for the Country Party leader and Coalition Deputy Prime Minister John McEwen, and he was sworn in as caretaker Prime Minister until such time as the Liberals elected a new leader.

No official federal government inquiry was conducted, on the grounds that it would have been a waste of resources. Neither was an inquest held at the time because Victorian law did not provide any mechanism for reporting presumed or suspected deaths to the Victorian Coroner. However, the Commonwealth and Victoria Police compiled a 108-page report into the disappearance, including statements from all eyewitnesses and details of the search operation. The law in Victoria was changed in 1985, and in 2003 the Victoria Police Missing Persons Unit formally reopened 161 pre-1985 cases in which drowning was suspected but no body was found. Holt's son Nicholas Holt said that after 37 years there were few surviving witnesses and no new evidence would be presented. On 2 September 2005, the Coroner's finding was that Holt had drowned in accidental circumstances.

The New Zealand government officially commemorated Holt’s death with a memorial service held at St Paul’s Cathedral, Wellington. Speakers at the service included the New Zealand Prime Minister, the High Commissioner for Australia in New Zealand, and the Bishop of Wellington. Pictured is the cover for the order of service, which comes from a series of records relating to Distinguished Visitors and Royal Tours, created by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Archives Reference: AAAC W3995 2/

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