Lord Downer of Adelaide Hills has angrily walked off stage at an Adelaide Hills auditorium after being heckled during a public lecture on the latest incursions by Chinese surveillance balloons into North American airspace.

His Lordship had hired the Adelaide Hills RSL auditorium (main picture) to deliver his recitation of the column he has just had published in the Australian Financial Review.

The event began politely enough when Lord Downer opened with his views about the wisdom of China’s actions.

“To send surveillance balloons over the United States at a height of 50,000 to 60,000 feet is just silly,” he began. “How could they have imagined the Americans wouldn’t detect a surveillance balloon and not only shoot it down but make a political and diplomatic issue over it?

“It’s one thing to spy on another country….,” His Lordship added.

But before he could complete the sentence, he was interrupted by an anonymous interjector who yelled: “You mean just like you did in 2004 by bugging the Timor-Leste Government’s offices during negotiations over oil and gas reserves?”

A clearly shocked Lord Downer quickly scanned the audience but could not detect the offender.

He repeated his remark: “It’s one thing to spy on another country – and all significant countries do a fair bit of that – but it’s another thing to be caught….”

The anonymous scallywag also reiterated his own comment: “You mean just like you were caught bugging the Timor-Leste Government’s offices during negotiations over oil and gas reserves?”

This brought His Lordship to a halt and he spent some moments visibly fuming and sending an unmissable signal of his annoyance with a severe lip-pursing directed at all parts of his audience.

After also giving the audience a damn good glaring, His Lordship continued.

“Few will forget the absurd agreement between presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in February last year that there were ‘no limits’ to their partnership. Three weeks later, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine,” Lord Downer intoned.

This was followed by another japester who interjected: “You mean the invasion you said would never happen?”

At this a small titter could be heard across the venue which clearly annoyed His Lordship who vigorously tapped his gold-tipped ebony dance cane on the stage to call for silence.

He finally continued: “Chinese Communist Party leaders have always argued that their foreign policy is based on the concept of non-interference in the internal affairs of another country….”

At which another interjection regarding the 2004 Timor-Leste bugging incident filled the air.

Attempting to ignore the remark, His Lordship said: “Add to that the economy: countries around the world are trying to reduce their dependence on supply chains from China, and clearly this has implications for investment in China and economic growth.”

But his words were lost as the audience broke into loud laughter when an unknown member loudly asked: “Have you been to the Adelaide Hills Bunnings lately?”

A by-now furious Lord Downer nevertheless ploughed on.

“So, the spy balloon fiasco has come at a time when the Chinese leadership has realised its foreign policy has gone off-piste and that it needs a reset,” he declared.

A lively cove from the audience then added: “Why don’t you piste off?”

His Lordship then did just that.