Condolence

WARDLE, IVON ALFRED OAM

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:00): I move:

That the House of Assembly expresses its deep regret at the death of Mr Ivon Alfred Wardle OAM, former member of the House of Assembly, and places on record its appreciation of his meritorious public services, and that as a mark of respect to his memory the sitting of the house be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Mr Speaker, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Ivon Alfred Wardle. He passed away at Ashford Hospital on Tuesday, 26 November, aged 94. Ivon Alfred Wardle OAM was born at Burra to a farming family. In 1927, the family moved to Wynarka, 130 kilometres south-east of Adelaide, where he completed primary school before leaving to work on his parents' farm. At 18, he attended Wesley Theological College in preparation for a career as a Methodist minister.

In 1941 Ivon enlisted in the RAAF, serving in Papua New Guinea with No. 75 Kittyhawk Squadron. Prior to his election as the Liberal member for Murray in 1968, he worked as a Methodist minister in Spalding and Pinnaroo, a farmer at Coonalpyn, district clerk at Meningie, and deputy town clerk at Murray Bridge.

Ivon served four terms as the Liberal member for Murray before unsuccessfully contesting the 1977 election as an Independent. After leaving parliament, he became deputy administrator of Resthaven Homes for the Aged before being invited to join the board of Resthaven, where he served as chairman for eight years. Ivon was awarded an OAM in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 1995 for service to the South Australian Parliament, to the community though the Uniting Church in Australia, and aged care.

On behalf of the government, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere condolences to Ivon Wardle's family. I am sure they are greatly saddened by his passing, yet they can feel very proud of his service to the South Australian community. May he rest in peace.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:03): I rise to second the Premier's motion on behalf of the South Australian Liberal Party and I offer our most sincere condolences to the family of Ivon Wardle OAM, the former Liberal member for Murray from 1968 to 1977. In every way, both during his time in this house and throughout his life, Ivon was a great contributor. Prior to entering parliament in 1968, Ivon was a Methodist minister, working primarily around Spalding and Pinnaroo, this early calling to pursue a religious path coming to him after this education as Wesley Theological College.

Coupled with his outstanding air force service in 1941 in Papua New Guinea, Ivon was able to draw upon a great wealth of experience in offering counsel to his many parishioners. This in turn provided Ivon with a groundswell of public support to switch his focus to politics. His first step was taking up a position as district clerk at Meningie, and then deputy town clerk at Murray Bridge, where he served with great dedication and commitment. Then came the move into the state arena, with Ivon representing the people of the Murray, an electoral district now distributed between Hammond, Kavel and Schubert, and of course held for many years by former premier Tom Playford.

Ivon was one of those great local members, always in touch with what was going on, never too busy to stop and chat and always happy to offer his support to local community issues. In later life, if anything, Ivon's workload increased, with commitments throughout the Methodist Church, including their outreach service, as a JP, as chairman of Resthaven homes, and as a committee member for the Payneham and Dudley Park Cemeteries Trust. It was a busy and fulfilling life in which Ivon still managed to find time for his greatest passion, which was his family. Over the years, this expanded to include children, grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

In his last few weeks of life, at the ripe old age 94, Ivon retained his lifelong wit and charm, his clarity of thought and his general good humour. He was much loved around this place. I know that many here hold special memories of him, and it is with these words I endorse the motion and pass on the opposition's condolences to the family of Ivon Wardle at this sad time.

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (14:05): Reverend Ivon Wardle OAM has died aged 94. My family and I have had many ties with Ivon and his family over many years. We first met him as the minister for Spalding Methodist Church. My wife, Kay, and her family, who worshipped in that church regularly, were very close to him, especially Kay's parents, Stuart and Beryl Somerville. Beryl is in the Willochra Home at Crystal Brook at the moment and will be very sad to hear of Ivon's passing, but she has wonderful memories.

He was a very good minister, with a wonderful pleasant manner and was very popular with his congregations, both at Spalding and then at Pinnaroo where there he had several Vennings in his congregation, and you might say he had some work to do, especially the late George Venning. He was, to many, the perfect man of God: administering, caring and hardworking. He lost his first wife, Dorothy, and later married Fay.

Ivon's war service, as has been mentioned, was very notable, serving in that famous No. 75 Squadron in New Guinea, flying Kittyhawks. There has been much written about this and there are a couple of wonderful books. The group still celebrates together and they certainly will be missing one of their colleagues.

Ivon entered this parliament as the member for Murray in 1968 and served with my father, who came in at the same time. They were very good friends. Ivon was blessed with a good voice, and I have very fond memories of the backbench boys singing along with Roger Goldsworthy, Boyd Dawkins and David Wotton—lots of memories there. As a result of a redistribution and subsequent election, he was unsuccessful in the 1977 election.

Ivon will always be fondly remembered as a very loving, caring man with an excellent memory who was always pleased to see you. To his wife, Fay, and his children, Malcolm, Lynette and Ian: our heartfelt condolences. We have great memories.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (14:08): I rise, too, to pay my respects to Ivon Alfred Wardle OAM. Ivon made the grand old age of 94, and I note also that in his time he was a Justice of the Peace for 54 years, a director of outreach services with the Methodist Church and chairman of Resthaven home for the aged. He also had time as a Methodist minister, as has already been spoken about today, a deputy town clerk and an ambulance officer in Murray Bridge.

Apart from being born into a farming family at Burra in South Australia—as if that was not tough enough—they decided to come out to Wynarka in 1927. That is where he had primary schooling and then worked on his parents' farm. It has already been discussed here about his great and courageous war service in Papua New Guinea with the No. 75 Kittyhawk Squadron with the RAAF. I also note that Ivon worked as a Methodist minister at both Spalding and Pinnaroo, and also continued some farming at Coonalpyn, which is just outside of my electorate. He was a district clerk at Meningie, a deputy town clerk at Murray Bridge and he served four terms as the Liberal member for Murray before unsuccessfully contesting the 1977 election as an Independent.

Ivon was awarded an Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1995 for service to the South Australian parliament, to the community through the Uniting Church in Australia, and to aged care, and that award was very well deserved.

Ivon served the electorate of Murray from 1968 to 1977. I was a young boy and I was learning to play the piano and, as a personal note, it was Ivon's first wife, Dorothy, who was attempting to teach me and that was a struggle, I must say, so perhaps I did not have the fingers for the keyboard. She soon learned that I had a bit of difficulty coordinating right and left hand so she sent me off to learn the electronic organ, where all you had to do is use your memory and learn chords, so that is what I did. I think poor Dorothy was quite frustrated with my lack of ability.

Be that as it may, it was interesting to note that there was no pretence about Ivon and Dorothy Wardle's home. It was just a home in the south of Murray Bridge, not unlike many homes in that area; only a three bedroom, fairly standard place, and Ivon was not one to lord it over anyone or the community.

I must say it has been great to catch up with Ivon over the years. Since I have been elected, he has come to several of my end of year Christmas events. It was fantastic to host him and to run into him at times in the halls of parliament at past members' lunches, and I am very sad that that will not happen again. I have very fond memories of Ivon and his first wife Dorothy, and I have also meet Fay, and my condolences go to Fay and the rest of the family.

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop) (14:12): I rise to support the motion moved by the Premier in the memory of former member, Ivon Wardle. I first met Ivon some years' ago, I think it was at the Lucindale Field Days when he approached me and introduced himself to me, and my memory of him was of a tall, engaging man with a very bright eye. He walked up to me out of the crowd, and he recognised me as the local member and wanted to introduce himself to me, and we had a chat for some time. From time to time since then, I came across his path and always found him in the same way—as somebody who is engaging, keen to have a chat and always very keen to catch up on the latest gossip of what was going on both in the parliament and in the electorate, and a man who obviously took a great interest in his community and in the state in general.

It is with great sadness that I learned only recently, within the last day or two, of the passing of Ivon Wardle, one of those men who I think I can genuinely say is a true gentleman, and I think the words that have been said in his memory here today have been well earned by him. I would like to pass on both my condolences and those of my electorate of MacKillop to his family.

The SPEAKER (14:14): I was pleased to meet Ivon Wardle at a breakfast for Christians at Henley Beach a few years ago. Ivon won the state district of Murray from Labor that was held by agriculture minister Gabe Bywaters. It was owing to Ivon's victory that the Dunstan government was ejected from office and the Steele Hall government won the 1968 state election.

After the 1976 redistribution, the first on a strict one vote, one value basis, the Hills seat of Heysen was merged with Murray Bridge. Murray Bridge was severed from its Mallee hinterland and Ivon Wardle, having lost the preselection to David Wotton, contested the merged seat at the 1977 general election as an Independent. I offer my condolences to his widow and to his family. The house will mark the passing of Ivon Wardle in the conventional way.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

[Sitting suspended from 14:16 to 14:25]