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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 4 Hansard (20 April) . . Page.. 942 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

and on forever. She probably would be sad that she went when she did, because I am sure she was looking forward to the twenty-first century. She would have then lived in three centuries. She did a fine job in almost achieving that.

The world Sylvia Curley was born into was very different from today's world. Australia was not even a Commonwealth then. It was six independent self-governing colonies of Britain. She lived in Canberra from the time it was just a series of sheep paddocks and a few farms through to the fine capital it has become today. Miss Curley - and that is what she always wanted to be called, not Sylvia Curley - was the epitome of a fine lady. Her standards were very high, as were her expectations of herself and of others.

Generations of nurses who trained and worked at the old Canberra Hospital respected her. Both my wife and my older sister-in-law were nurses who trained under her and worked under her, my older sister-in-law for many years, and held her in incredibly high esteem, as did everyone who worked under her and everyone who came into contact with this remarkable lady.

The hospital was just one place where Miss Curley exercised her influence, her commitment and her determination to achieve goals she knew to be important. As has been said, she trained as a nurse in her youth, but her interests were very diverse, and her skills and her capabilities were absolutely astounding. I recall about 18 months ago having a very lengthy conversation with her at her home at Griffith. Even though she was not terribly mobile, she insisted on serving the tea, the cakes and the biscuits. I was so impressed not only by the fact that she was such a fine lady but by her incredible intellect, the depth and breadth of her mind, her sharpness and her awareness of current issues. She seemed to me to be timeless.

I am very sad that Miss Curley died when she did, only a couple of days before I was due to see her again. I was looking forward to seeing her again when Dr David Kemp, the Federal Minister for Education, and I were due to go to Mugga so that Dr Kemp could have a look around the magnificent property and the legacy that so transparently she has left to the Territory.

Miss Curley was a well-known member of a pioneering family in the Canberra district. As someone who was able to turn her hand to anything she liked, she established a very fine property at Mugga. Her lasting gift to the Territory has been the education centre there. This was one of her cherished projects. She campaigned tirelessly and fearlessly for it. It is great that so many people assisted her in that and that we were able to provide an educational officer to teach children about the environment, with hands-on experience. Having been around that property, I know what a wonderful resource it is for young people in the Territory and for future generations, as is the original property and homestead of Mugga. They are a rich reminder of Canberra's history and Miss Curley's central part in it. The homestead has been maintained in its original condition, and today's schoolchildren are able to learn much about the daily life and work of former times as well as learning about the environment through the displays in the education centre, which she herself was instrumental in designing and getting up and running.

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