SARD, MS PAM

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:16): This week will see the last days of several people in this place and the other place. Their contribution over many years has helped to make South Australia a better place, and I acknowledge their dedication and contribution and wish them well in their retirement. Others here today may not, for reasons beyond their control, return, and it makes us realise that parliamentarians, like so many other people in the community, are contract workers.

In our particular democracy, we submit to an election process every four years and do our best to win our positions because we want to champion the hopes and aspirations of our communities. It is not a straightforward job interview, and these days applicants or candidates need to work harder than ever before. We do that willingly alongside many others in the community. Businesspeople, workers and volunteers alike all put their shoulders to the wheel to make South Australia a great state.

One such volunteer I met at Little Athletics events over the past few years was Pam Sard, and I was saddened to learn of her recent death. Through a 30-year association with South Australian Little Athletics, Pam saw and helped facilitate hundreds of thousands of children to be their best. Pam was remarkable in many ways. After qualifying and moving to Elizabeth to live, she became one of only two female drafters at the Weapons Research Establishment. Pam loved sport, representing South Australian in state women's cricket and met her husband, Brian, through baseball.

Her children's involvement in sport saw Pam become a team manager, club secretary, orange lady and coach, and by 1982 her commitment became full-time as first a secretary and later executive officer of the Little Athletics Association. A tireless champion for sport, she and Brian travelled the state, building new clubs in Ceduna, Broken Hill, Roxby Downs, Port Lincoln, and most recently the Limestone Coast at Kingston in the South-East.

Pam helped standardise Little Athletics events across Australia, introduced national multi-event championships and fostered change to junior sport policy to support safe activities for younger athletes. In recognition of her service and dedication, Pam was awarded life membership of Little Athletics in 1988. She affectionately referred to herself as being a mother duck.

I understand she worked almost to the very end, organising Little Athletics affairs while she was in hospital. Our sympathy and thanks go to Brian and sons Brenden and Scott and their families for sharing Pam with South Australia for so many years.

Whenever I was attending an event with her she put all her energy into making the day a success for everyone involved. She will be greatly missed and is a wonderful example of the sort of contributions so many people make every day all across this state. It is an incredible honour to represent them here in this place and promote their hopes and aspirations. I began public life as a local activist on my children's kindy committee and, while not for everyone, being out in front does give you a greater idea of what is possible and how to go about making it happen.

Our democracy gives us all the opportunity to participate at whatever level we choose. We may choose to stand for election or assist others who do. We can join a political party to advance our ideas, or merely look into what each party or candidate offers, either in depth or by contacting them personally or reading their material. Some people may only wish to make a decision on the day, and this becomes harder as the range of parties broadens and the number of independent candidates proliferates.

The result of the recent federal election shows us the difficulties, where many different and often untried and unknown candidates win in tight contests. We certainly must do our best to get our policies out and discussed so that our constituents are clear and have time to discuss and understand the policies. This is something this government is certainly aiming to do and I know will continue to do right up until the election date.

My commitment to my electorate has always been in making myself available by attending as many events, meetings and sporting fixtures in my area as possible. I also have had the opportunity to represent ministers at events all over the state, and it is in that role that I have been able to get involved in so much more, most recently in the Sustainable Community Awards held in conjunction with KESAB. The work of all the organisers, nominees and winners of those awards are to be congratulated and commended and I look forward to personally meeting and thanking many volunteers all over the state in the years to come.