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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 4 Hansard (9 April) . . Page.. 792 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

He has been described as dedicated, effective and single minded. It is said that his men shared this view and considered him extremely fair, believing that he did not like any of them equally. He profoundly confirmed this when asked in later years.

Brigadier Garland's ability to speak his mind made him a strong player in the monarchy movement in the ACT. In 1993 he was elected to the ACT Council of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, two sons and two daughters and a number of grandchildren. I am sure all members join with me in acknowledging the great contribution Brigadier Alf Garland made to Australia and to Canberra and in expressing our sympathy to his family. He will certainly be missed.

MR STEFANIAK: Mr Speaker, I wish to speak on behalf of the opposition. Brigadier Alf Barrett Garland had a most distinguished military career. As the Chief Minister, Mr Stanhope, has said, he graduated from RMC in 1953 and had a number of postings. He passed away only weeks before his 70th birthday from a debilitating illness, motor neurone disease. It is a disease of which few Australians are aware.

A branch of the Motor Neurone Association was formed in the ACT in 1994, and I have the honour of being one of the patrons of the association. Despite having the disease for a number of years, Alf soldiered on until it became too debilitating for him even to do that. That he continued to be such a dedicated worker and individual for so many causes was testimony to his strength of character and his considerable physical strength.

Alf Garland came from a warrior family and he was very proud of that. He was a controversial figure. He spoke his mind very freely indeed. He has been described as a man who gave a lifetime of service to Australia in both war and peace. He was a great Australian patriot. As the Chief Minister has alluded to, he was a prominent and dynamic monarchist. As has been indicated, in 1993 he was elected national chairman of the Australian Monarchist League. Phillip Benwell, the then chair, said that Alf was never afraid of speaking his mind and was an ardent critic of republicans, particularly of those who, having taken the oath of allegiance to the Queen, worked assiduously to remove the crown.

Alf Garland was honoured in Australia for his service to the military and also received a number of awards overseas for his service to the veteran community and for his service around the world. He served not only in Australia but also in Malaysia, Korea and Japan and had various staff, regimental and instructional appointments in Australia. In 1980 he was made a member of the Military Division of the Order of Australia. He was made Chevalier, Military Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem in 1985 and Companion of the Chivalry Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1987.

In 1982 he was elected vice-president of the ACT branch of the RSL and in 1985 he was elected president of the branch. He stood down five years after that due to ill health. In 1982 he became a fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, ACT branch. In 1993 he was elected a vice-president of the Bungendore PA and H Society and to the ACT Council of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy.

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