Page 23 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Madam Speaker, I would also like to thank the union movement in Canberra for their support throughout my campaign. I would especially like to thank the members and organisers of the CPSU, the CFMEU and the TWU who contributed a lot of their personal time to campaign with me. The union movement in Canberra is a vibrant and fundamental part of our city, encouraging working people to have voices in their workplaces, in their government and in their community. I am a proud union member, and I encourage all Canberrans to be active in their unions.
I have lived my whole life in the electorate of Ginninderra. I currently live in Dunlop with Archer and Sienna and our dog, Elkie. I grew up in the suburb of Holt and I attended my local schools—Holt primary and Ginninderra high—and completed my formal education at Hawker College. I loved growing up in this part of Canberra, exploring Ginninderra creek with my brother, Clinton, and my sister, Donna, and riding horses through what is now west Macgregor and Dunlop.
Many of you will know my father, Wayne Berry, who represented the seat of Ginninderra for 20 years until his retirement in 2008. Dad was a union official with the firefighters union in the 70s before becoming a member of the Legislative Assembly. Growing up with a father as a firefighter meant that in our home we were especially conscious of fire safety. Dad would often come home after his shifts where he had experienced the death or injury of a person in our community as a result of faulty fire plugs or electric blankets. As kids we all found it a bit annoying, but we did not know what he and firefighters experienced during their workday.
My memories of dad and the firies were positive ones. The annual firies family picnic was a particular highlight for us kids. As we got older in our teenage years we were, of course, enormously embarrassed to see our dad on TV when he became the union secretary. Little did we know then of the almost nightly appearances he would make as an MLA. Well, we soon got used to that.
My mum stayed home while we were in primary school until she etched out a career for herself as an occupational health and safety officer. Mum studied while working full time and being the wife of an MLA. Mum is the only one in our family with a tertiary education. We are all very proud of what she has achieved as a mum with three young children who worked full time and studied part time to gain her degree, all the while making sure we got fed, clothed, kept the house clean and made dad look good at official functions. She got very little help from us kids. She is here today to make sure that my chair and desk is ergonomically set. Just so the rest of you know, you might want to straighten up.
My parents gave me and my brother and sister a great foundation on which to build our lives, instilling in us the values of justice, fairness, hard work and respect and, dare I say it, a healthy scepticism of authority. These are the values which we carry with us throughout our lives. I particularly wish to thank my parents for their tireless work in helping looking after Archer and Sienna and all their work in the campaign—standing on stalls, visiting voters, leafleting houses and, of course, dad’s amazing work looking after my placards and signs. Thanks, mum and dad.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video