MARY MACKILLOP

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:34): Yesterday afternoon I sought a pair from the house because I was invited to attend what was a very special and important occasion to do with the celebrations of the canonisation of St Mary of the Cross, particularly for Willunga and the Fleurieu Peninsula region, where my family and I live. It was interesting to listen to His Grace Archbishop Philip Wilson and other speakers talking about the magnificent work that the now canonised St Mary of the Cross did when she was a sister and her work with respect to the Sisters of St Joseph with the South Australian province.

Whilst we hear a lot about Penola and some other areas, many would not realise the fantastic pioneering work that she did in Yankalilla. In fact, back in 1867, she had 40 students in a very small, old stone building in the main street of Willunga. She gave those students the opportunity to, first, learn about important values, secondly, to read and write and, thirdly, to be able to have some compassion for people who were doing it tough.

After the unveiling of a plaque at the front of that particular cottage—and we commend the residents for agreeing to allow that now that it is privately owned—we moved on to a church service at St Peter's Catholic Church at Normanville to hear more of the history of the Sisters of St Joseph and particularly the great work of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop. In fact, when living at Yankalilla, she did all her worshipping at the Normanville Catholic Church.

Importantly, when we look at the way she was driven to this work, we see that she started off with a large family. In fact, due to an unfortunate situation with her own father, who was unable to find employment, she was, at times, the only person able to bring any income in to the family. However, during that time, she realised just how much a lot of young people, in particular, and families, were doing it tough, and I am talking back in 1867.

Some of her letters were read out at a function at the Normanville Hotel dining room, which was packed out with people eager to learn more about her. In listening to some of the letters that she wrote, it was interesting to hear how concerned she was about the lack of education, health issues, homelessness and the lack of a tight-knit community back in those days. One thinks about 1867 to 2010 and, in some areas, not a lot of things have changed. We are still arguing about rights for women, and we see the way she led her charge so successfully.

We are also still arguing about homelessness and education. We are arguing about and debating issues regarding affordable housing, and one would have to ask, particularly in the last several decades when, clearly, the economy in this state and nation has been so much better than it was in the mid-1800s, whether we have achieved as much as we should have in addressing many of these issues.

In completing my remarks on this matter, I want to particularly acknowledge the great work that Archbishop Philip Wilson is doing for our South Australian community. I know that many of my colleagues would also attend functions where we see leaders of our churches and other community leaders. Archbishop Philip Wilson certainly does a fantastic job with all that he has on his plate, not only in this state and nationally but also internationally. He tends to be at many of the functions that I attend, and he is doing a great job in leading.

I would also like to congratulate all of the local parishioners and the community of Normanville, Yankalilla and district. The local heritage and museum organisation was there supporting this as well. I hope that not only will this be a significant, strong memory of the efforts of Mary MacKillop but also that it assists with tourism and other development of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the future.