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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 4 Hansard (1 April) . . Page.. 1111 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

Mr Stefaniak and, I think, Mr Cornwell would perhaps no doubt remember the health centres that were a feature of Canberra in the 1970s and the 1980s, and Barry Reid's involvement with the Melba Health Centre was indeed very close and very direct. I believe that Barry was a member of the management committee or the community board which for many years was involved in the management of the Melba Health Centre, and I remember his enthusiasm for those projects.

As I say, and as we all know, Barry had a long and very productive involvement in local politics. He served his constituents and community with pride and enthusiasm. His was a career sustained by a passion for social justice and he had enormous energy to get the job done. Those that came into contact with Barry could not but be affected by his good humour, his love of a laugh, his zest for life, and his devotion to Labor Party ideals and to social justice.

I was always pleased to regard Barry as a friend. He was a significant member of the Labor Party for many years and he served this community as a member of the House of Assembly. He will be greatly missed by his friends and colleagues. I extend my sympathy to his wife, Wally, and to all his children.

MR CORNWELL (10.41): Mr Speaker, it seems to be my melancholy duty to stand up here at fairly regular intervals to pay tribute to previous members of the old advisory Assembly, and may I say, without suggesting anything, that to date they have been members of the Labor Party. I sincerely hope, however, that we do not have too many more from any side of the House in the future.

As the only member of the Assembly who attended Barry Reid's funeral-Mr Hird, a former member of the Assembly, was also present-I rise on behalf of the opposition to pay tribute to him. I remember Barry, of course, as a member of the advisory Assembly from 1982 to 1986. I regarded him as a friend, although he was from Melbourne and followed some peculiar football code which left me bewildered.

Barry was very much a committed person to the community. He was, as the Chief Minister has said, vitally involved in some of the initiatives of the Whitlam years, including the Evatt coop and, of course, the Melba Health Centre. I can remember some quite interesting debates relating to the Melba Health Centre and the question of salaried doctors that took place in the old advisory Assembly, and Barry Reid was certainly to the fore in the defence of that concept.

As Mr Stanhope has said, Barry had an accounting background and he certainly was at the forefront of debates on economic matters-often, I might add, to the amusement of my colleague of that time that some members here will remember, Mr Trevor Kaine. I think it is fair to say that my side of the House did not always agree with Barry Reid's economic views, but nevertheless he put them forcefully, even passionately.

One of the great attributes of Barry Reid-and I would commend it to all members of this Assembly-was his ability to listen to and consider the views of other people. Although he may not have agreed with them, he always was prepared to allow people inside and outside the Assembly to at least put their point of view. I think that is a commendable trait that we could all emulate.

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