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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 6 Hansard (18 June) . . Page.. 1786 ..

MR HIRD (5.02): Mr Speaker, I rise to speak about not only a prominent Canberran but a prominent person who devoted a great part of her life to rugby league in the Belconnen area in my electorate. Her husband's life was similarly devoted to rugby league in this area. I speak of the late Eileen Frances Jamieson, who became a staunch supporter of the Raiders. Eileen died in the Canberra Hospice on Saturday last.

Eileen and her husband, Gordon, whom I had the privilege of knowing, moved from Wagga, where he had been a police officer with the New South Wales police, to take up a position in Canberra as a reader at the Canberra Times. They were staunch supporters from day one of the club that I was patron of, the Belconnen United Football Club, known as the Panthers. Unfortunately, Gordon had a massive heart attack in 1975 and he did not see the Panthers win their local grand final that year.

Eileen worked on the switch at the old Canberra Hospital. She went back into her shell, so to speak, until the birth of the Canberra Raiders in 1981. Eileen was reborn; she followed them and supported them enthusiastically. Who could forget her brief television appearance following the Raiders' first premiership victory in 1989 at the Sydney Football Stadium? I dare say one of her biggest regrets in the last two months was that her cancer became so bad that she could not continue to look after, as she would put it, her boys.

My sympathy goes to her loved ones, her family. I am sure other members of this chamber would join with me in that. But I would also like to pay a tribute, Mr Speaker, to the people from the Little Company of Mary, who look after the Canberra Hospice, for the way that they do it sympathetically and diligently. They are to be praised not only in this instance but also for the way that they do handle their tasks. The loss of a lovely person such as Eileen Frances Jamieson will be a sad blow for Canberra.

MR BERRY (5.05): I want to draw the Assembly's attention to another gift that has been bestowed on us by Mrs Carnell. The Mental Health (Treatment and Care) Act envisages the appointment of a Director of Mental Health Services. For some time during the period that Mrs Carnell has been in charge of the health ministry, an acting director has been appointed. That acting director evaporated after a little dust-up following the smashing of windows here at the ACT Assembly. I understand that since then not only did we not have a Director of Mental Health Services but we then had a situation where the acting director was, if you like, axed. Subsequent to that, Mrs Carnell has excelled herself. We have had nine Directors of Mental Health Services, on my count. I think there were six the first time; and then, according to Special Gazette No. S151 of Friday, 30 May 1997, we now have another three, each for a month.

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