THE TIMES: When Julia Gillard was sworn in as Australia’s first woman Prime Minister on Thursday, another piece of history was made: the country was also given its inaugural “First Bloke”.
Britain had Denis Thatcher, who described himself as the “most shadowy husband of all time” and referred to his wife, Margaret Thatcher, simply as “The Boss”; in the US, Todd Palin was nicknamed “The First Dude” by his wife, the former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Now Australia has its own member of the international First Man’s Club: Tim Mathieson, a beerloving hairdresser who grew up in Victoria, likes cooking a lamb roast and still hangs out with his childhood mates.
Mr Mathieson has been in a relationship with the new Australian premier for the past four years and is not shy about expressing his feelings for her. “I find her genuinely such a warm person,” Mr Mathieson told the Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne, where the couple share a house.
“Julia has a great sense of humour. It’s a really good, genuine, daggy humour. Her best qualities are determination, loyalty and humility.”
Mr Mathieson admits to being regularly called upon to provide last-minute styling for the flame-haired Prime Minister, whose ever-changing hairstyle is a topic of much discussion in Australia, as she heads out for her early-morning political commitments. “That’s my forte, the famous 5.30am blow wave,” he said. “Sometimes it’s 4.30. I’ve learnt to blow wave with one eye open or even in my sleep.”
Grace Romanin, manager of the Melbourne salon Heading Out, where the couple met, described Mr Mathieson as a “fantastic person”, who, despite his profession, does not like to gossip — something of a relief, presumably, for the new Prime Minister. >>> Sophie Tedmanson, Sydney | Friday, June 25, 2010
