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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 5197 ..

MS MacDONALD (continuing):

to be a quantity surveyor. He was later employed as an earthworks construction manager. Pop was involved with some of Australia's icon dams and major earthworks, including the Eucumbene Dam, the power station at Yallourn in Victoria and, of course, the Snowy scheme in New South Wales.

The practical bent in his work showed through his whole life, and I will always remember Pop as being very practical with building and renovation projects. In fact, it was only at Pop's funeral last Wednesday that I became aware of the parallels between Pop's life and that of my own father. My dad was an industrial chemist and left the company he was working for to go into the air force in World War II as a radio signals man. Dad was born two years before Pop West and I remember him as always tinkering with things, similar to Pop.

To return to Pop, he would often come home to Grandma to say that he had another job in another part of the country and then he would be gone the next day. Grandma was left behind to pack up the house and children and follow. I understand that Grandma got very good at packing up houses in record time. Grandma and Pop travelled all over the country, with Pop working on subdivisions in Darwin and then later working at Uluru, where he had a great rapport with and respect for Aboriginal people and their culture. I think both Pop and Grandma enjoyed their travel experiences throughout Australia and overseas. While on their first trip to China, they adopted another granddaughter, Chris.

Pop did not retire easily, returning a few times and working till quite late in life on many project. Ironically, one of these was Fairfield Hospital, where he spent some of his last days. I do not remember the first time I met Pop, but I do know that both he and Grandma West were and are the backbone of their family. Going through school and then teachers college with Jane, I remember Grandma and Pop as a constant in her life and then later in my own.

Pop and I both have the Labor Party as a common love. However, while we would both agree that the Australian Labor Party was the one true party, we did not hold the same line on the factions. Whilst I am a steadfast member of the right faction, as you know, Mr Speaker, Pop was aligned with the left and would often make disparaging jokes and comments to me about the right wing of the party. Of course, Grandma would always say, "Arthur, you can't say that,"and Pop would get that twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile.

But it was never said with malice and I clearly remember the time, much to my alarm, when he informed his left-wing friends that he was sure that I would join the socialist left if they would just give me a job. He was also overheard by Jane, in these last months, boasting about me to a friend from the Labor Party. It gave me great pleasure to be able to pass on to him that we had passed the industrial manslaughter legislation two weeks ago. I know that he would have been proud that we had done it.

I feel very privileged to have had Grandma and Pop attend my wedding last year, at which I am told he was under strict instructions from Grandma to behave himself during the reception. Pop came up to me and said, "Karen, you'll be happy to know that I've found a few members of the left."He then gave a cheeky chuckle and wandered off.

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