Page 4250 - Week 11 - Thursday, 17 Sept 2009
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who are very committed to assisting young men, often vulnerable young men, and really giving them pathways in life, giving them mentors and giving them all the assistance that they need.
They make a wonderful contribution to our community; so I would like to place on record, once more, my admiration for the work they do and my gratitude on behalf of the ACT community for the work they do and the contribution they make for the people of the ACT.
Mr Roland Manderson
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (5.58): I am rising to speak in the adjournment debate to also pay tribute to Roland Manderson and to echo some of Ms Bresnan’s words. Roland, as she said, has been around the Assembly since 1989. I know that ever since I joined the party and have been running in elections he has been a great supporter, a great mentor and someone that I have really looked up to and admired.
As Amanda said, he is a very colourful character. He is known for his braces; he is known for his shoelaces that never seemed to be tied up; and he is known for that flash of blue in the front of his hair. And I have noticed in the last couple of weeks that that blue has disappeared. Because of the new job, Roland might be smartening up and might finally have some sort of new dress code. But we certainly did enjoy that flash of blue that would fade to green before it was renewed again.
Roland is known for his loyalty and, as Amanda said, his incredible knowledge in so many different areas and his dedication to areas such as the arts. Many of you would know that Roland has a long history of being involved with arts organisations. Being a director of the Canberra Youth Theatre, he was a very important person with that organisation for so long. He has really been, I guess, such a supporter and such an inspiration in the arts community over many years.
Of course, that gave Roland quite theatrical talents that he has displayed on many occasions. At times it has certainly been highly humorous and at other times it can be a little alarming, not taken in the way it was put forward. Roland, in full flight, can be a sight to behold. As well, in this state, he speaks faster than the speed of light. So on some occasions I have waited until he has finished so that then I can ask him to give me the version that can actually be understood by mortals, human beings. And he usually is able to put it into words at a slower pace.
But he certainly, over the years, has been a very loyal member of the Greens, a fantastic staff member. As Amanda also said earlier, in those early days when we found ourselves with four Greens elected after the 2008 election, when we were having to settle into the Assembly and when we realised that we had the balance of power and there was a lot of work and thinking to be done, the staff members who stayed around—and Roland was key among those staff members—were so important to us being able to get through that period.
On behalf of the Greens team here, on behalf of the ACT Greens party, I wish Roland the very best. He will be deputy director of Anglicare Australia. I know that he has
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