Adjournment Debate

SANFL Grand Final

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (18:08): I am just wondering if I might say a few words on indulgence and I think possibly the members for Morialta and Newland, and others, might want to do the same thing. As many members might be aware, this weekend sees us celebrating what has often been referred to by Roy and HG as the festival of the boot. The festival of the boot is something that occurs but once a year, at least in its ultimate form.

This year, in a day or two, we will see the local festival reach its apotheosis. It is going to be a very exciting event. By reason of having observed Mr Speaker, I come to the conclusion that at least one of the teams has green and yellow-type attire, and I have used all the powers of deduction I can summon and I think this is something to do with what in my day was known at The Woodpeckers, and it was where the great Malcolm Blight began his career. Dear old West Torrens, which is much beloved by those of us in the western suburbs—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Lindsay Head.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Lindsay Head, exactly. Who could forget the great Lindsay Head?

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: He was better than his brother, that is true. He was a magnificent footballer and there were so many great names. In fact, now that you mention it, I had the good fortune a while ago to go to a game where—I have to confess I support the other team, West Adelaide or The Bloods, as we call them. I have been to see a number of games—

An honourable member: One or two?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: A number—and on occasions I have had His Worship the Mayor of West Torrens, the Hon. John Trainer, say to me, 'If you come to watch Westies,' as they are also known, 'play a game, you can come into the Mayor's little parlour thing which is there at the game.' For those of you who have not been to the oval down there, it is a great little venue and, of course, the best bit is the Mayor's parlour at the oval because they have beautiful pies, pasties, sandwiches, cold chicken and drinks, and they also have an outdoor viewing bit where you can take your own chair out there and you can sit there.

Madam Deputy Speaker, you may not be aware of this but there are many members of the opposition, past and present, who are fans of The Bloods. It is true. The Hon. Rob Lucas, for example. I have been down there pressing myself, as one does, against the fence in an attempt to get a closer view of the athletic spectacle before me, and who might be standing next to me? The Hon. Rob Lucas, and he is there frequently.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: No. He does not seek out the mayor's parlour, he stands in the crowd with the ordinary supporter. There are also people like—and you are going to like this. Can I mention two former premiers of this state?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: By name or their former seat?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: No, I am not going to mention their names yet. I am wondering if any of you can guess. One of them has gone on to a career in football.

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon: John Olsen.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Yes, the member for Newland, has it—the Hon. John Olsen. I have seen him there at the games. There is another one, and I will give you a clue: once upon a time he was the member for Frome.

The Hon. G.G. Brock: Not me.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: No, not the current member for Frome, the former member for Frome, the Hon. Rob Kerin. I have seen him there at these games. They appear to enjoy them quite a bit. The number of people one meets at those games is quite incredible. As I said, I have deduced today that the Speaker is, I think, a supporter of—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I am glad the Treasurer is here because he can help me. The Speaker, as I said, I deduce is a supporter of either the Woodpeckers or the mighty West Torrens.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: It depends when you speak to him. He used to barrack for Glenelg, then Sturt, then Fitzroy, then Brisbane, then the Crows.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: So, the Speaker—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: He is also dressed in Port Adelaide colours outside Alberton handing out pamphlets that are black and white.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Well, can I say that the Speaker has added an enormous amount of colour to the parliament this week in his preparation for the festival of the boot. The way he has dressed up, he has brought it to life to me anyway, as a person who does not normally get this excited this early about an SANFL grand final. I have had it brought forward several days, just come forward several days. Normally I am not this excited about it until Saturday afternoon. Quite frankly, I am wondering how I am going to get through the next three days, because if I am at this pitch now I might hit the spot I am looking for prematurely. That would be very unsatisfactory, so I am hoping I will be able to do something to calm myself down. Here is what I am thinking of doing: I am thinking of Patrick Dangerfield. What a story that is. What is the truth? Where is that heading?

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: We know; Geelong.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Well, I saw a chap on television who claimed to be the mayor—again, member for Frome, a mayor—of Geelong. He had an unusual haircut, he had a bit of colour in the hair, and he was quite cocky about the fact that they were going to snaffle Mr Dangerfield. It seems to be the case that one trifles with a cocky mayor at one's peril, because he seemed to know something we did not.

I am actually a West Adelaide supporter. In fact, I went to school very close to West Adelaide at Cowandilla Primary School, and many of the people who went to the school wound up playing for West Adelaide, and then a couple of the fellows I went to school with at Henley High wound up playing for West Adelaide. One of them, the great Dirk de Jong, was the man who came in at the last minute in 1983—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: A great year.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: A great year. For the absolute final in 1983 he turned up from the West Coast, and Westies got one of those rare premierships under the belt. It is a long story I could tell you about how it was that he was out of the team and then back in, lots of intrigue and lots of twists, but I am not sure we have that long.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Tell us about your time at Cowandilla Primary School.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: In real time?

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: And the languages you learnt.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Actually, it is an interesting point that has been raised by the Treasurer—who, I think, wants to make a contribution on this topic in a moment himself. I was lucky enough to be invited to go to the state records place a few months back. They are interesting people; they collect things, records of all sorts. They said to me, 'Look, you might be interested in some of the records we have assembled on this table.' So I went to the table, and amongst the records—and you will not believe this, Deputy Speaker—they had some information from Cowandilla Primary School. It was an original of a document—which I asked for a copy of and received—a very important document, Deputy Speaker, because on one page it proves that both the former member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas, and I successfully passed into grade 2. That is what it said on the page, and it had a stamp, 'Passed into Grade 2'.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: A defining moment of your career.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: A defining moment; after three goes I finally got there. Anyway, the former member for Hindmarsh, the soon to be member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas, and I appear on the same page with 'Passed into Grade 2'.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Was Jimmy Karvelas on there as well?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Jimmy Karvelas was not on that particular one but he was on others.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: But he has made it onto Hansard.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: He has made it onto Hansard and, if you are listening, Punter, good on you. I am getting the sense that the Treasurer wants to give a few of his recollections about football and other things. Actually I think the member for Morialta is seeking indulgence, because I think in this rather targeted speech I have just given I have provoked a matter of great interest in him as well.