Page 1059 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 29 May 2007
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announcement of Canberra stage 4 water restrictions was made just three days after his death.
I recall with fondness listening, on many occasions, to Aspi on the radio, patiently explaining the water situation: telling it like it was—never flustered, always polite, always forthright and pulling no punches—but in his own unique and most effective style.
He died, as the Chief Minister has said, after a boating accident while he and two friends were fishing near Moruya. It was a freak wave. It is actually a fairly dangerous piece of coastline. I lost a very dear friend there in 1976. In an article in the Canberra Times, Graham Downie said:
Fishing was one of his great loves, allowing a break from his job which occupied so much of his time, working for the benefit of those who live in or frequently visit Canberra.
It seems that more than just his professional life was to do with water. Befittingly, on the day of his funeral, the clouds opened, the skies opened, and over 20 millimetres of rain fell—a fitting tribute.
A quietly spoken but highly professional man, Aspi Baria will be sadly missed by his whole community here in Canberra—indeed, I daresay, perhaps by the greater Australian community. He was a thorough professional. On behalf of the opposition, I extend my deep condolences to his family and to all his friends at Actew, who I know grieve very much at the loss of such a fine professional and such a fine man.
MR MULCAHY (Molonglo): I also rise today to support the Chief Minister’s motion of condolence for Aspi Baria. I was saddened and shocked when I first learnt of Aspi’s passing. The boating accident that occurred on Saturday, 12 May was a reminder of how fleeting life can be. I, along with the then Acting Chief Minister, Ms Gallagher, attended his funeral several weeks ago to pay my respects to a man who earned the respect of all who knew him. That funeral was attended by a very large number of people—a very large number of his work colleagues, friends and others in Canberra who dealt with him. It was a very fitting send-off to this great Canberran.
Although I did not know Aspi outside the workplace, I had met him professionally on numerous occasions for briefings on the ACT’s water situation. In all of those meetings, his approach was exemplary and marked by his professionalism, knowledge and competence. His technical expertise was integral to most of my dealings with Actew. He will certainly be difficult to replace. He was always willing to assist me or the staff in my office with our inquiries about the water situation in the ACT. No question was too difficult or too complex to prevent him providing us with a comprehensive response.
A Parsee Indian, Aspi was born in Kenya and educated in England. He lived and worked in Papua New Guinea before arriving in Australia. He was a chartered chemist. He began working for Actew Corporation in 1989 after arriving in Canberra. In over 17 years, Aspi contributed a great deal—probably more than any other individual—to the management of water in this territory. In recent times, given the
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