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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 5 Hansard (10 May) . . Page.. 1337 ..

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services): Mr Speaker, it is with sadness that I speak of the passing of Sir William Keys, but with great pleasure at having known the man. The memories that spring to mind of the most recent times I saw Sir William are of occasions at the front of the Burmese Embassy. It is interesting that a man of his stature was always right there at the front line. He took the approach that for him it was a matter of action, not words. It was not uncommon to see him at the Burmese Embassy on different occasions supporting those who sought freedom for their homeland. We will miss that leadership in terms of his ability to bring together words and bring together people and direct them to meaningful, non-violent action to achieve an end.

There is the paradox of a great soldier. On the one hand, if necessary, he was willing to fight for his country and his ideals, but clearly saw that there were many other ways in which you could conduct yourself and achieve the same aim. For a man whose life was devoted initially to the military and then to the welfare of returned servicemen, a great humanitarian, he did not allow that to limit his vision. In terms of looking at a world beyond what many of us see, he was actually able to put into place steps to help alleviate sadness in other countries.

It is curious that, from the Canberra Times obituary, he did not see himself as a spiritual man. The final line of the Bruce Juddery piece says:

That relates to when he was diagnosed as having cancer in 1993. I know that the Burmese community always held him in high regard and will always remember him.

He was a great man, a man of many talents, a man of many careers and a man who added much to the Canberra that he made his home. I will miss him personally. I think the city will miss him greatly as well.

MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, earlier speakers have dealt at some length with the achievements of Sir William Keys and I do not intend to add to that. In fact, I intend to be quite brief. It can be said truly that Sir William was an outstanding soldier, an outstanding citizen and an outstanding man. In today's world there are very few people who are of such stature that they could be referred to as national heroes. Our heroes today seem to be people who play sport or do something of that kind.

Whilst what people adulated as national heroes achieve is praiseworthy in itself, Sir William was one of the few people to have been on the stage in Australia in this century who could truly be described as a person who was and will remain into the future a national hero, an outstanding man in all respects for whom everybody had a great deal of respect. That, in itself, says something about the calibre of the man. The country is clearly the worse for his passing, but it can be proud of the achievements of this man during his lifetime. His widow, Lady Dulcie, and the family can continue to be proud of the things that this man achieved for Australia. I do not think there can be any better accolade than that.

Question resolved in the affirmative, members standing in their places.

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