Page 122 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The book comes in Italian and in a bilingual version and they are accompanied by DVDs. The books will soon be in the stores. Anyone who does contemplate the process of passing on the Italian language to their children should be encouraged to have a look at them. The splendid turnout for the launch on Sunday afternoon was a great testament to Mrs Martiniello and her family, which is clearly close-knit and a close-knit community group.
I take this opportunity to congratulate Mrs Martiniello and her friends on the launch of this book and to congratulate the people at the migrant resources centre who provided the original language training for Mrs Martiniello, which has borne fruit in this great little publication. It should be a testament to all those people who work in outreach teaching English to new arrivals that really great things can be achieved with the appropriate teaching of English. It is a great testament to Mrs Martiniello and her family that she has taken the love of language so far and has created this great resource for the wider community. I congratulate her and wish her well with her publication.
St Vincent de Paul Society—doorknock appeal
Mr Brendan Kennedy
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (6.03): I would also like to note that I was at the Vinnie’s doorknock appeal launch breakfast, and I will be out door knocking for Vinnie’s also. As Mr Seselja said, I hope that anyone who is approached by a doorknocker for Vinnie’s will give generously, and give what they can.
On 3 January I, along with the Chief Minister, attended the funeral service for Brendan Kennedy, the passionate and tireless director of UnitingCare Canberra City. As was stated in the sad news about Brendan’s death, he died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his family, on 28 December 2011. Brendan was one of the most dedicated advocates for vulnerable and homeless people in the ACT and was always honest and forthright, something I greatly admired and appreciated about him.
In running the early morning centre, Brendan drew attention to the particular issue of rough sleepers in the ACT. I particularly loved the term used to describe Brendan by a number of the people speaking at Brendan’s funeral in that he was a rebel but always with a cause. Speakers at the funeral talked about Brendan’s frequent run-ins with policymakers over the years through his support and advocacy for people, including those who were homeless and refugees. They also spoke of his ongoing support through his life for vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
Even though I only knew Brendan for a short time, compared to all the other people there, I will miss his advice and thoughts greatly. The ACT Greens’ thoughts go to Brendan’s wife, daughters, family and friends. Brendan’s death is indeed a huge loss to the ACT community and he will be greatly missed by a huge number of people and organisations.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video