Page 2931 - Week 09 - Thursday, 18 August 2005
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Dragway
Mr Charlie Shore—retirement
Parliamentary world cup rugby
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra) (4.58): I wish to refer to three issues. I was interested to hear Dr Foskey’s earlier question about the effect of a dragway on the environment. Recently, someone told me that a resident who lives in the area where it is proposed to locate the dragway—I hope that it will be located there—is a former pilot who has a block of land that he wishes to farm. He said that he has no problems in relation to noise from the proposed dragway. In fact, he believes that noise from the airport will probably cause problems for the public announcement system and drown it out. That statement was made by one resident who will be affected by noise from the dragway, which I believe to be a positive statement in favour of the dragway.
Next week a long-standing employee, about 15 years, of Quamby—a difficult institution at the best of times—will be retiring. Charlie Shore has been at Quamby for many years and I think that on occasions he has run the place. Charlie has always conducted himself in an exemplary manner. He has impressed both his workmates and some of the difficult young people at Quamby with whom he has dealt. Charlie has been a father figure to some of the young people at Quamby and he assisted some of those who left in keeping to the straight and narrow. What he has done has been over and above the call of duty, including involving in sporting activities some of those young people who have left. They have continued to take an interest in sporting activities.
Over the years, Quamby has gone through some troubled times, including a coronial inquest conducted by Coroner Somes. As a result of the coroner’s inquest, a number of public servants were criticised and it was recommended that they should lose their jobs. Charlie Shore was singled out for his efforts in attempting to assist a young person who tragically committed suicide at Quamby. I think that just shows the measure of the man. On behalf of everyone here, I say to Charlie Shore, “Thank you for a job well done, at times in very difficult circumstances.”
The other day my colleague Mr Seselja got a bit of a run on an epic event—it was not quite a curtain raiser as it was played on a different field—in Sydney before the unfortunate loss by the Wallabies. I refer to the parliamentary world cup between the states and territories and the commonwealth. Modesty prevented Mr Seselja from saying a few things, but I will indicate to members now that the score was five all. Two tries were scored.
The first of them was scored them by a former ACT politician who should have been playing for the states and territories, namely, that big lug Paul Osborne, who insisted on playing for the commonwealth for some reason. That was closely followed by a try to the states and territories by a bloke playing his first game of rugby, that is, my colleague Mr Seselja. He will probably tell members that it was after a 50-yard run, but it was not. He was set up for a lovely try under the posts by one of the classic Wallabies, Marty Roebuck. It was a fantastic effort. Unfortunately, when he came to trying to convert it, the ball skewed off the side of his boot and ran along the ground to the right at a height of about two feet. As it turned out, the score was probably a good way to end this inaugural match—the first time state and territory politicians have played each other.
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