HEN BEN CHIFLEY was serving as prime minister of Australia (1945–1949), he would often field calls from Canberran housewives ordering “a quarter pound of steak, some corned beef, and a half-dozen sausages”. The calls were mistakenly made to his office, rather than the local butcher’s shop in nearby Manuka where the telephone number differed by just one digit. Rather than identifying himself, ‘Chif ’ – as he
