Page 5087 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
I am sure Steve has already bowled up to the pearly gates and said to St Peter, “Mate, I might not always be right but you know I gave it 100 per cent.” And I am sure Peter swung open the gates to let him in. Steve will have then walked up to Christ, who, as the Bible tells us, will hold us in warm embrace, and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Christ will have said, “Despite your personal struggles, you have made me proud, and now you are home.”
As we say in my faith and cultural tradition, much of which I shared with Steve:
Eternal rest, grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Thanks, Steve. I hope you will keep us in your prayers. Keep praying for all the lost causes now that you are closer to the angels.
MS LEE (Kurrajong) (10.44): Last month we all had the opportunity to say a few words to mark Steve Doszpot’s retirement from the Assembly. At the time I, naively, and perhaps in a bit of denial, thought that we still had so much more time. For a life lived with hardship, joy and meaning, it was cut too short.
No-one who knew about Steve’s early life and journey to Australia could not be moved by his story. As Steve said to me when we first met, “You are from Korea; I am from Hungary. We are related, so I am big brother.”
His family’s journey to Australia in search of a better life is something that I am all too familiar with. Steve had a lot in common with my family, in particular my dad. From their shared family grit and perseverance, their shared love of the beautiful round-ball world game and their shared love of salami, even, to their being only one year apart in age and the same thanks that both our families give to Australia for the many opportunities this country has provided us.
I may have called Steve big brother but he was so much more. Steve cherished and valued freedom. It is this belief that drew him to the Liberal Party. We as a party are richer for being able to call him one of our own. A fierce fighter of the forgotten people, true to the spirit of Menzies, Steve was someone who knew, acknowledged and accepted that the opportunity he had when he moved to Australia gave him the privilege of being able to serve his community to ensure that others were afforded the same opportunity.
Anyone who knows Steve knows that he values, above all else, his family. To Maureen, Adam, Amy, Annette, Ed, Issy, Noah, Kasia, Andrew and Harry: we may have lost a colleague, a friend, a staunch fighter for Liberal values and a man who gave so much to our community, but you have lost so much more. Thank you for sharing Steve with us. I know that he was never happier or prouder than when he was with his family.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video