Page 4541 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 31 October 2018
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facility. The facility was outlined in the Tharwa village plan, which was developed in consultation with the local community, local businesses, and landholders. I was pleased to release the Tharwa village plan recently at the September Tharwa Bush Fair. Like the other ideas, the committee has investigated this option, including using recycled timbers from the Tharwa bridge to use within the nature play facility. But before any decisions are made, the committee will need to meet with Val’s family and indeed the broader Tharwa community to discuss these ideas.
I am pleased to remind the Assembly that this will not be the first place-naming celebration of a Jeffery family member. In 2005, Clarrie Lane in Tharwa was formally named to commemorate Val’s father, the late Clarence Charles Jeffery.
I have requested the committee secretariat located in the Office of the Surveyor-General and Land Information to further progress these investigations in consultation with the relevant agencies, including to determine the time frame required to establish the new nature play facility before liaising with the Jeffery family and the local community. I will be pleased to keep members informed about the progress towards suitably commemorating the important contribution made by Val Jeffery OAM AFSM by naming a public place in his honour.
By leave, I move amendments (1) and (2) circulated in my name together:
(1) Insert new paragraph (1)(e):
“(e) that the ACT Place Names Committee is currently investigating how to commemorate Mr Val Jeffery’s contribution to the Tharwa community;”.
(2) Omit all text after (2), substitute:
“(2) calls on the ACT Place Names Committee to:
(a) consider a substantial tribute to Mr Val Jeffery which adequately reflects his passion and commitment to Tharwa; and
(b) consult with the Jeffery family, the Tharwa and wider Canberra community on the best way to commemorate the life and legacy of Mr Val Jeffery.”.
I commend my amendments to the Assembly.
MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (12.26): I support the ALP amendments and the comments from all the previous speakers about the contribution Val Jeffery made to the Canberra community. I will not bore people by repeating those. Suffice to say that his name was well known not just in his local community of Tharwa; everybody in Canberra knew Val Jeffery.
I take Mr Gentleman’s point that even if the name of the Tharwa bridge were changed to Val Jeffery’s bridge, we would probably still keep on calling it the Tharwa bridge. I very much support the amendment which suggests that the ACT Place Names Committee do what it appears they are already doing: look at a tribute to Val Jeffery, work out with the community and his family the most appropriate place to commemorate his name, and do it.
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