Page 1533 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 31 March 2009
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Margaret’s death was met everywhere in this community with a single, shared outpouring of dismay and distress. I know I speak on behalf of very many of my fellow Canberrans when I extend to her sons, Jonathan and Benjamin, and their partners, her grandchildren, Isabel, Rachel and James, her brothers and sister, Carmel, Fred, John, Patrick and Peter, and her extended family and friends, deepest condolences on their loss. Margaret Spalding will be long remembered and respected for changing the world and the community she came into, and leaving both better for her being here.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition): On behalf of the Canberra Liberals, I express our condolences to the family and friends of Margaret Spalding OAM. I did not know Margaret well personally, but I was well aware of her work and her untiring commitment to improving the lives of others.
Margaret was genuinely one of those who committed herself to improving the lives of other people. She did not come from a background of privilege that led her to this path. Margaret was a butcher’s daughter from Forbes, one of six children. From there, she set about a lifetime’s work of caring for and assisting others. From grassroots work to senior management and policy positions, she dedicated her energies to the human services field. She worked for government and non-government agencies alike, both at the front line and at the forefront of strategic development.
Her community positions included being Executive Director of Headway Victoria; a founder of ADACAS, a community advocacy service; and executive director of FaBRiC, the family based respite service. Within government agencies, she worked for the ACT Department of Health and Community Services. Her policy and strategic contributions included being a member of the ACT Community Inclusion Board; a member and cofounder of the ACT Leadership Development Group; and a committee member with NDS in the ACT.
In 1997, Margaret was appointed to the board of Koomarri in the ACT, and it is in this capacity that many of us came into contact with her. Her time at the helm of Koomarri has been widely praised for significantly increasing the number of families assisted, rising to over 400, with members who face the challenges of living with a disability and were helped by Margaret’s work with Koomarri. She is credited with increasing the services provided and gaining support from colleagues and associated professionals, and from public policy bodies both here in Canberra and throughout the region.
Margaret was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia on Australia Day this year. I quote from her comments to the Canberra Times:
I grew up in a family that held very strong values about caring about people in your community and doing something about it.
These are important values, values that we share and which we all should take heed of in our professional lives, especially in the positions we hold here in the Assembly.
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