Page 1958 - Week 05 - Thursday, 6 May 2010
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Electric shock incident—Section 45 Block 44 Scullin ACT—Report prepared by the Electrical Inspector, ACT Planning and Land Authority, dated 17 March 2010.
Ms Anna Landon
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (6.41): I rise tonight to say thank you to a member of my staff, Anna Landon, as today is her last sitting day before her retirement on 20 May.
Anna has had a long history working in this place. She first worked here in the executive in Wayne Berry’s office in Rosemary Follett’s government. But, even before then, Anna Robieson, as she was at that time, ran in the very first election for the ACT government in 1989. If you go up to the Speaker’s office or the Speaker’s hospitality room, you can see her name on that infamous 1989 ballot paper. I believe she is about halfway along what is quite an extraordinary piece of ACT electoral history.
Since that time, Anna has also worked in Housing ACT and with the disability department here in the ACT. More recently, in 2005, she returned to the Assembly to work with my predecessor, Wayne Berry, in the Speaker’s office. It was my very great fortune, and a testament to Anna’s commitment to the role of the Speaker and to the running of this Assembly, that she joined me again in the Speaker’s office after the 2008 election.
She brought with her a wealth of experience that was of immense value to me in those first few months after the election. Not only was I new to the Assembly but, as members know, I was also new to the role of the Speaker. Anna’s experience and knowledge of the office of the Speaker and her wise counsel were invaluable to me both personally and professionally.
Being a card-carrying member of the Labor Party, Anna was a brave lady to take on working for a Greens member in the Assembly, but I know, Anna, that the Greens team have very much taken you into their hearts and they are going to miss you very much.
From talking to some of my Greens colleagues, and from my own experience, it has become clear that Anna brings much more than just experience to our team. I would like to offer a few of the phrases that people put forward when we asked them what they thought when they thought about Anna, and it is a varied bunch: “a fantastic cook”, “a great hostess”, “feeds you up”, “loves flowers”—and brings them to the office, “a wedding celebrant”, “a wordsmith”, and, I think most complimentary amongst this list, “a wicked sense of humour”.
So Anna has been a tremendous asset. From my own office, from Helen and Richard and me, a very special thankyou. We loved having you in our office—your warmth, your wit, your sage advice, cups of tea when needed, and flowers—and we really are going to miss you.
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