Page 3577 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 12 September 2017
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because they were able to show us some of the wildlife that I would never have known was so close by. There were six bettongs, five sugar gliders, several red-necked kangaroos and swamp wallabies, lots and lots of frogs—I lost count; I could not even see them—and of course the huntsman spiders that I was lucky I did not see. And there was even a rare sighting of a quoll as we had almost made it back to the exit, an exciting experience, given how shy the quolls are.
Having spent most of my life walking past various trees without giving them much thought, I thought it was interesting to hear about why certain trees have different bark or leaf colour. Having spent most of my life not stopping to really listen to nature, it was fascinating to be able to actually distinguish between different frog types and bird calls after a few moments standing in the dark doing nothing but listening. Having spent most of my life staying well away from kangaroos or other animals in the wild, it was quite spectacular to see some of our unique wildlife in their own environment.
A highlight of the trip had to be Sho’s many dad jokes, my favourite being when, after we spotted the quoll, she turned and asked us whether we had had a “quoll-ity” time.
Madam Deputy Speaker, it is no wonder the Mulligans Flat twilight tours have been so popular since they started. With the warmer nights coming, I encourage everyone to do a twilight tour. Sho’s excitement about spotting a huntsman was because it signals the warmer weather. One of the signs of the onset of spring—don’t say I didn’t warn you—is the silver eyes, all eight of them. A huge thank you to Sho, Amy and Alison for taking the time to share their passion and knowledge with us. Canberra’s nature would not be what it is without you.
Crime—domestic violence
MRS KIKKERT (Ginninderra) (4.48): It is with a heavy weight of responsibility, both on my shoulders and in my heart, that I rise today. In a personal way, I want to say that I am sorry. Nineteen months ago a young boy here in the ACT was murdered by his father, who has now confessed to the terrible crime.
Mrs Jones, Bradyn Dillon’s mother, has stated publicly that she and her family contacted Child and Youth Protection Services, ACT Policing and other government agencies in an effort to get someone to intervene for the safety of Bradyn. I have no way of knowing exactly what was said by Mrs Jones and her family or what happened to those reports of concern once they were received. But I am so sorry that the hoped-for intervention did not occur.
I am also sorry that Mrs Jones first learnt the extent of Bradyn’s injuries as she sat in a courtroom two weeks ago. How awful to realise the depth of pain he must have been in in the months before his death, as evidenced by the 60 to 70 bruises found on his body. As a mother, it hurts me to see one of my children get a single bruise or cut, yet I am able to fix that with a bandaid or a kiss. I cannot imagine the anguish of a mother worrying for months over the pain that her child might have been in but feeling utterly helpless.
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