Page 4481 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 18 October 2011
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friends; Julie Tongs, CEO of Winnunga; the chair, Judy Harris; his co-workers; and his patients. His passing is a great loss to our community. He will always be remembered for his lifetime of good deeds and assistance to those most in need of his care.
MR HANSON (Molonglo): Today’s condolence motion is but a small gesture to a man who made such an enormous contribution to the ACT medical community, the local Indigenous community and the community at large. Dr Peter Sharp AM, as stated by my colleagues who have already spoken, was unmatched in the ACT for his commitment to and passion for advancing the health and wellbeing of the Indigenous community.
I rise to speak today in my capacity as the shadow minister for health and as shadow minister for Indigenous affairs. But I also rise today to pay my personal respects to a local community member whose work will be significantly missed. I acknowledge the many friends, family and colleagues of Peter Sharp here in the Assembly today—in particular, Peter’s partner, Carolyn Patterson, and Julie Tongs, the CEO of Winnunga Nimmityjah.
It is important to note that Dr Peter Sharp’s work benefited people well beyond the local Indigenous community. Dr Sharp worked with older people affected by alcohol and substance abuse. He dedicated thousands of hours to training other medical professionals, often without any or little remuneration except for the pride of doing so. Peter was unique in the medical profession, as his expertise covered many spheres of knowledge. He saw the big picture and understood that, for many, medical treatment was just one aspect of their healthcare needs. Dr Pete recognised that holistic health care was important to address the complex health, social, emotional and cultural needs of his patients.
I was lucky enough to meet Peter on a number of occasions, and I was impressed by his dedication and his commitment to his work. As Carolyn reminded me just before this motion, we also sat together at dinner a little while ago. We should not just reflect on what a great doctor he was but also on what a great bloke he was.
He expressed a pragmatic and realistic view of policy and wanted to see real action to garner real change in the ACT. His work was not glamorous or individually lucrative. He gave up the possibility of a private practice or academic success to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. He had a generous social conscience and he was there to serve the community, not for any personal gain.
It is important to recognise that when Dr Peter Sharp began his work in Indigenous health, resources were scarce. Whilst we cannot pretend today that this is an area of health that is abundant with resources, it is certainly luxurious compared to the conditions in which Dr Sharp started working. When Dr Sharp began temporarily working for Winnunga Nimmityjah, the service was provided from, as described, a little dingy, dark room at the back of the Griffin Centre, which they were allowed to work out of for two days a week. Dr Sharp only received a small wage and spent most of his time off visiting patients in their homes and his public holidays in the clinic ensuring the service continued uninterrupted.
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