Condolence

Whyte, Hon. A.M.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:18): By leave, I move:

That the Legislative Council expresses its deep regret at the passing of the Hon. Arthur Mornington Whyte AM, former President of the Legislative Council, and places on record its appreciation of his distinguished service and that, as a mark of respect to his memory, the sitting of the council be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

I rise today to pay respect to the Hon. Arthur Whyte AM, a former President of this place. On 15 December last year, we learnt with great sadness of the passing of Arthur Whyte. We remember him today as a member of the council elected in 1966 and as president of this place from February 1978 until his retirement in November 1985. While I never had the pleasure of actually meeting the man, I have certainly learnt a great deal about him. I have heard stories about him and read quite a bit about him, and I can say with absolute certainty that today we honour a truly remarkable Australian.

Arthur was born in 1921 and grew up in the Flinders Ranges region in rugged and isolated country. His family eventually moved to the Kimba region on Eyre Peninsula, an area with which he maintained a deep connection his entire life. It cannot have been easy; it would not have been an easy life for an isolated farming family starting out in the Great Depression of the 1930s. I understand his schooling was limited to a one-teacher school near Yeltana, the family property north of Kimba. He finished 12^th in the state when he completed his qualifying certificate at age 11. However, I understand he was forced to stay at school for another year because of his age and completed his formal schooling at the age of 12.

Clearly, were he living in the city and it was not the Great Depression, probably his life would have been quite different in a number of respects, but it mattered not because he was one of those people for whom lifelong education was automatic. He learnt from every aspect of his experiences and from people he met, whether they were bushmen, Aboriginals, soldiers or parliamentary counsel.

Growing up in a farming family, Arthur became at a very young age a very capable horseman and bushman. At the age of 15, with, I understand, one packhorse and his dog, he rode out across the country from Yeltana to Moonarie Station to begin working as a jackeroo—a distance, I understand, of about 150 kilometres. This journey took Arthur five days, alone but for his horses and a dog, and if he had had an accident or been hurt, clearly he faced perishing and no-one would have known for some time. But at that time, no-one considered this solo ride unusual for this particular 15-year-old boy.

While Arthur was working as a stockman, the Second World War broke out and he joined the 2^nd/48^th Battalion, which was to become the most decorated Australian unit of the war. He served in the epic siege of El Alamein and was one of the legendary Rats of Tobruk, rightfully a matter of considerable pride for him. Upon returning to Australia in 1943, he lost his arm in an accident while training to be a jungle fighter and was discharged from the Army.

Incidentally, I have been told that he never complained about the loss of his arm and was always finding very innovative ways of doing things, and there are many tales about Arthur cracking a whip or throwing a beast while riding on horseback or, perhaps even more frightening, rolling a cigarette while driving, which I understand he was quite famous for. Of course, there is a particularly wonderful photo of him, in a newspaper going back to July 1977, opening up his parliamentary office door with his security key and using his foot to unlock the door and managing his briefcase as well.

He returned to the South Australian bush in 1945 and married Mary Seal, and they remained a great enduring partnership for nearly 70 years. Arthur and Mary moved to Yeltana in 1950, and their four children, Caroline, Annette, Martin and Nola, were raised there. Caroline, of course, eventually became a member of the Legislative Council in her own right. Obviously, I had the great pleasure of working with the Hon. Caroline Schaefer for a number of years. I found her to be an incredibly hardworking and diligent member of this council, and she has always conducted herself in a highly professional way, whether it was in this house or with other responsibilities she had in a number of roles throughout the years.

Throughout the fifties and sixties, in addition to being a successful farmer Arthur was energetically involved in his community. He held positions in the Kimba district council, the Stockowners Association of SA, the local Lions Club and RSL and numerous horseracing organisations. Arthur's leadership qualities attracted the eye of those in power, so it was no surprise when he was elected to the Legislative Council in 1966.

In 1978, Arthur was elected President of the council, a position he held for nearly eight years. Given that proportional representation was still a relatively novel thing at the time and that the numbers in the council, for the first time, were very evenly divided between the major parties, I understand his term as President was a quite volatile one.

He was widely acknowledged as a forthright President who was respected by all sides. Arthur, I understand, was anything but a simple bushie who happened to wander into parliament. He was going to be a very shrewd political player and a man of influence with a very strong independent streak. He was not afraid to have his say and I understand he did that frequently. I am sure that the Hon. Rob Lucas, who was here in Arthur's time, can probably shed some light on these matters.

There are still some very close connections with Arthur Whyte that I would like to acknowledge here today: Jan Davis, our highly esteemed Clerk was his Black Rod during his presidency, and also Margaret Hodgins, who is secretary to the Clerk now, was the President's personal assistant at the time, and I am sure they will have shared a recollection or two between themselves about Arthur.

When asked later in life about what he considered to be the highlights of his political career, I understand he nominated the work that he did with the Aboriginal people to secure their rights to the Maralinga lands. I understand he spent considerable time sitting down with the elders in Maralinga to ensure that amendments to the Maralinga lands act were acceptable to all parties. Arthur's own words at the time were, 'I have a smattering of the lingo, for a start, and they sensed I was a bushie.' How rare it would have been for the Maralinga people at that time to meet a politician who was able to speak at least some Pitjantjatjara.

In November 1985, Arthur retired as Legislative Council President and in 1987 was awarded an Order of Australia for his service to the Parliament of South Australia. In retirement, Arthur and Mary returned home to Kimba where he apparently enjoyed a regular visit to the Kimba pub and a quiet drink with old mates—and apparently a bet on the horses every now and then as well.

He is now amongst people he loved and was laid to rest in the Kimba cemetery on 19 December 2014. He leaves behind Mary, his four children, 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Arthur's life encapsulated experiences and values that have come to define—at an almost mythical or iconic level—our sense of national character and identity. Arthur was one that singular generation of Australians who lived through really tough times of great turmoil and often enormous personal hardship and yet they survived and thrived with a stoic and always fundamentally a very decent spirit intact.

His ability to mix with all kinds of people, to respect them and to be respected in return was just one of his rare qualities. I think the outpouring of tributes since his passing is a profound acknowledgement that here was a truly remarkable Australian. May Arthur Mornington Whyte rest in peace.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:28): I rise to second the motion and endorse the comments made by the Leader of the Government and add a few personal comments and comments on behalf of some of my colleagues. I had the privilege of personally knowing the Hon. Arthur Mornington Whyte and, in December last year, I drove to Kimba to attend Arthur's funeral. It was a beautiful service commemorating his long and rich life.

Arthur came from humble beginnings. He was born into a family with a deep and rich farming history. He was the youngest of four children. From a young age the notion of hard work was instilled in Arthur, a characteristic which he exemplified throughout his life. While at school, Arthur worked on the farm leaving little time for his homework. Despite this, Arthur's hard work and discipline saw him finish 12^th in the state with his qualifying exam results.

True to his roots, Arthur took a job at Buckleboo Station after finishing school. Arthur became well known as an excellent stockman and was later employed as a jackaroo on Moonarie, which at that time carried some 30,000 sheep and 700 head of cattle. However, in 1940, in the midst of the Second World War, Arthur made the brave decision to join the Army.

As part of the 2^nd/48^th Battalion, Arthur served throughout the Middle East, serving in Palestine, Libya and Lebanon, and as one of the famous Rats of Tobruk. Ironically, it was not until after these battles that Arthur suffered his injury. In 1943, he was involved in an accident in military training which saw him lose his arm, and he was subsequently discharged from the Army just before Christmas that same year. Perhaps Arthur was a little more accident prone than he would have cared to admit, because some years later he fell off his horse, breaking his arm in three places, and had to endure a painful four-mile walk back home while negotiating three fences with only one (broken) arm.

Family was truly important to Arthur, and upon returning to Australia he married his wife Mary in 1945. Two years later, they bought some land at Kimba. Kimba was to become the family home, and here, on the family station of Yeltana, Arthur and Mary had four children: Caroline, Annette, Martin and Nola. I am pleased to see that Caroline and Annette are here today; the others have not joined them, but I am sure they are here with us in spirit.

Arthur's devotion to his community was the foundation of his political career. He was a monumental figure in and around Kimba, serving on the Kimba District Council, and was president of the Kimba branch of the RSL, a member of the Kimba Show Society, and a member of the Kelly Football Club. He also held positions within the Kimba Racing Club and the school committee, just to name a few. I think that was displayed in Kimba on the day of his funeral, where every possible seat was taken, and there were two rows of people standing around the Kimba hall listening to the service.

After being elected to the Legislative Council in 1966 as a member of the Liberal Country League, Arthur was elected President of this chamber in 1978. It was as President that Arthur Whyte made his long-lasting imprint on South Australian state politics. He played a key role in the passing of legislation to construct the Olympic Dam uranium mine, and Arthur was a strong advocate for the mine, which continues to be a significant contributor to South Australia's economy and its jobs market today.

Most notable was Arthur's relationship, as the minister and Leader of the Government indicated, with the Aboriginal people, and what he was able to achieve for them with the Maralinga lands bill was nothing short of remarkable. Having considered the government's bill and the opposition's alternative bill, Arthur was adamant that neither afforded the Maralinga people the appropriate level of protection. He sought to consult with the Maralinga people, not as a politician, but as a fellow bushie and as a friend who had grown up and worked with the Aboriginal people throughout his farming life. Through his determination, Arthur was able to ensure the Maralinga land and the sacred sites were safeguarded. The mutual respect between Arthur and the Maralinga people was to be admired.

Arthur retired in 1985 and two years later received a truly deserved Order of Australia. Of course, as we know, Arthur was also a wonderful host at home in Kimba. I visited there a number of times. I was warned by Caroline not to go back to his house for 'just one more' glass of port, and I thought, 'This guy's perhaps in his mid 80s by now so it won't last very long,' but, sure enough, she was right and we were still there at 3 o'clock in the morning, and Arthur was going strong. So he was certainly a man who was strong in body, strong in mind and strong in heart as well.

Today, I would also like to pay tribute to Arthur, in a strange way, by way of Arthur's children, especially Martin, who was the first person who suggested that I should run for the Legislative Council, and took a role in—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I know members opposite and some others might not like the role they played! I think Martin then spoke to his sister Caroline, who then committed to help support me during my preselection process. As I sat in the hall in Kimba, I though, 'Actually, I have a stronger and longer connection with the Whyte family.' If it were not for Arthur, he would not have had those children, and those children would not have been able to offer that support on my journey to becoming a member of the Legislative Council.

As I reflected on the life of Arthur, I was full of admiration for a man who stood up for what he believed in. A man full of humility, no matter where his travels took him or what parliamentary office he held, Arthur always remained humble. He was a true representative of his people, and it is a great loss the community of Kimba, as well as those from South Australia.

Mr President, I would like to close by reading a poem that was handed out as a memento of Arthur's life on the day of his funeral. I do hope I can do it justice. It is entitled The Measure of a Man:

Not 'How did he die?' but 'How did he live?'

Not 'What did he gain?' but 'What did he give?'

These are the things that measure the worth

Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.

Not 'What was his station?' but 'Had he a heart?'

And 'How did he play his God-given part?'

Was he ever ready with a word of good cheer

To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?

Not 'What was his church?' Not 'What was his creed?'

But 'Had he befriended those really in need?'

Not 'What did the sketch in the newspaper say?'

But 'How many were sorry when he passed away?'

These are the things that measure the worth

Of a man as a man, regardless of birth.

Arthur Mornington Whyte, rest in peace.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:35): I start my support of this motion by acknowledging Mrs Mary Whyte, the Hon. Caroline Schaefer, Gar and Nettie Heron, and of course the Hon. Peter Dunn, former President of the Legislative Council. I was fortunate to meet Caroline Schaefer, the first of the Whyte family I came into contact with, and the great privilege that I had through meeting Caroline was to be introduced to her highly-respected father, Arthur Whyte.

My journey with Caroline started as a candidate for the state seat of Giles in the early 1990s. I had not met Caroline before and, out of that silver medal I received at that time, that podium finish without any chocolates, I had the great fortune to come into contact with the Whyte family. Can I say that the experience for me has been one where I feel extremely fortunate and honoured to have been befriended by that particular family.

The Hon. David Ridgway, the Hon. Rob Lucas, the Hon. Peter Dunn, the Hon. Graham Gunn, Rowan Ramsey, the federal member, and Peter Treloar, the member for Flinders, and I were all fortunate to attend the celebration of Arthur's life in Kimba in December. As a Whyalla person who has always admired West Coast folk, it was exactly as I would have expected it to be. There was an enormous amount of respect shown. It was an enormously well-attended celebration, and I could not help but think, even though it was an extremely sad occasion, that when you looked at the pictorial of Arthur's life as it was presented in this marvellous ceremony, there would not have been a person who walked away without having been inspired by the celebration of Arthur Whyte's life.

Arthur Whyte was a legend of the West Coast; he was a great South Australian and Australian. My condolences to Mary and all of your family. You have much to be proud of, and I indeed was honoured to know Arthur Whyte.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:37): I rise to support the condolence motion and in doing so indicate that I had the honour of serving with Arthur in the Legislative Council, as the leader indicated, and also with the Hon. Caroline Schaefer, so I guess I am in a rare position to be able to speak to the condolence motion. As the other speakers have indicated, Arthur was held in very high regard and, as my colleagues have indicated, I think that was amply demonstrated by the many hundreds who attended the service for Arthur in the Kimba Institute Hall the week before Christmas.

I suspect for some of us—I speak for myself and will let others speak for themselves—that when it comes our time to pass, those who will be there in the equivalent of the institute hall might be our nearest and dearest and perhaps a few who just want to make sure that we are dead and buried and well and truly so, but that was not the case with Arthur. There were many hundreds from all over South Australia. I know some of the individuals I spoke to were people who had come into contact with Arthur—some had travelled over from in and around the Clare region, of course many came from the West Coast, and some had driven up from Adelaide.

I am sure there were many others there I did not get to meet who had travelled much further than that to pay tribute to Arthur, and not just of course because of his parliamentary service, which we are acknowledging here, but because, as other speakers have indicated, he was involved in very many community organisations. Many of the people I spoke to were there acknowledging the service he had given to many community organisations, both before he entered parliament and during his time in the parliament.

As we sat in that institute hall, one older gentleman behind me (I am not sure of his name) was proudly telling everyone in his row that he was the man who had nominated Arthur to run for preselection for the Liberal Party back in the early to mid-1960s, whenever it was that Arthur first started. As is the case with many a country send-off, it ended up in the Kimba Hotel. I am sure it would have been the sort of send-off that Arthur would have appreciated himself, in terms of everyone coming together, enjoying themselves and saying farewell.

I want also to pay tribute to Mary, his wife. One of the touching aspects of the ceremony was that the funeral card we all received stated that Mary and Arthur had been married for 69½ years. It was not 69, it was not nearly 70, but it was 69½. When we asked afterwards, 'Why so precise?' we were told it was because Mary had insisted that it would be 69½ years. For those of us who can even contemplate perhaps being married for 70 years, or 69½ years, it is a magnificent tribute to the two of them, but I want to place on the public record on behalf of my colleagues an acknowledgement to Mary.

I know how she loyally supported him through not only all the trials and tribulations that have been publicly acknowledged on that particular occasion and referred to briefly here today but also the many challenges they met together in raising a family on the West Coast, and supported him in his parliamentary life and his community life. He would not have been able to achieve it without Mary's support, and I want to place on the public record an acknowledgement on behalf of my colleagues, both present and past, for Mary's loyal support all through those years.

My earliest recollection—I still have nightmares about it on occasions—is when in my very first term in parliament, in that period of 1982-85 when Arthur was still the President of the Legislative Council, I was visiting the West Coast and travelling with Arthur on the dusty back blocks of Kimba and Buckleboo. I cannot remember the road; I just remember the occasion. It was my first experience. There was Arthur steering the car with his left knee—and not just on the straight stretches but around the corners—whilst he busily rolled his cigarette with his one arm and lit it whilst he successfully, as it turned out, managed to steer the car on those dusty back roads of Kimba and Buckleboo.

As I said, I still have nightmares; I thought my political career was going to end in its first three years. I had never seen that performed before, and can I thankfully say I have never seen it performed again. It was the first of many experiences—some of which I can put on the public record and some which I cannot—in my time with Arthur. He certainly was a good tutor or mentor for someone who, whilst they came from the regions (I came from a regional city, Mount Gambier), certainly did not know too much about the bush and about the West Coast. Through Arthur, firstly, and, in the latter years, Peter Dunn and Caroline Schaefer, I learnt marginally more about the issues that confronted those who lived and worked on the West Coast and in country areas of South Australia.

The other recollection I can put on the public record—as I said, not all of them I can—is that Arthur certainly, together with Martin Cameron and some of the other characters of those early years in parliament, was, if I can put it delicately, very great company during those late hours and early mornings that we had to endure in those days in terms of considering legislation. Particularly on the long nights, if I can again put this delicately in these politically correct days, Arthur I think had what I would refer to as an unmatched capacity to consume liquids which had significant percentages of alcoholic content within them.

My experiences generally, much less so in terms of the capacity, I might say, but certainly experiences in parliament with those late hours, involved Para Liqueur port, which is not as popular a drink these days but was certainly a very popular drink during those late evenings and early hours of the morning for Martin Cameron and Arthur Whyte. I can remember many an evening when, in the Hon. Dennis Hood's office as it is now down on the lower ground floor in the corner, which was the office of the then leader of the opposition, the some might say plaintive sounds of the bagpipes being played were heard in the early hours of the morning—that was not Arthur, that was Martin Cameron—as they whiled away the hours whilst legislation was being passed.

I remember clearly one particular night a story recounted to me later or embellished a bit by Martin Cameron. I vaguely remember retiring hurt at about 2am myself and heading home, making my excuses, and leaving Martin Cameron and Arthur Whyte there in the office and then, the next day, running into Martin Cameron, who had a very sore head, I might say. I said, 'What time did you two finish up?' He said, 'I think it was about 5 o'clock or 6 o'clock in the morning when we finally got Arthur home and I finally got home.'

He said the worst thing in the world was that evidently Arthur arrived at 8am the next morning in Parliament House, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, whistling and wanting to know whether Martin was ready for some breakfast. Martin said the last thing in the world he was looking for at 8am, after a session with Arthur, was breakfast. Arthur had a remarkable capacity to enjoy himself but, in the end, it did not inhibit the long hours and the work that he undertook both as a member and as a president.

We were all provided with information about some of the more controversial clippings that the library had pulled out in terms of Arthur's time in the parliament. It certainly refers to—and it was controversial at the time—a battle he was in with Ren DeGaris, who was the Liberal Party nominee for the President of the Legislative Council. Arthur won that particular contest with Ren, with the support of the Labor members and the two Democrat members at the time. That was obviously a source of some angst between the Hon. Ren DeGaris and Arthur for some time after that particular battle.

As the press clippings show, and they prompted my own recollections of the time, Arthur was very much his own man. You could put a point of view to Arthur and he would listen to it. He was obviously a strong Liberal but, in the end, whether it be the Maralinga legislation or whether it be the native vegetation legislation, which was originally in the planning legislation, or whether it be electoral reform or a number of those issues, Arthur had very strong views. He was his own man. Some might say he was stubborn. I would not be game to say that, but he was his own man. He formed his views and, once he had formed a view, it was very hard to shake that particular view.

I can remember screaming matches at the back of the chamber here. Jan Davis and others might remember them as well. There were screaming matches with the then attorney-general and leader of the government, the Hon. Chris Sumner, who was not backwards in coming forwards, putting a very strong point of view on behalf of the Labor government at the time on a number of issues, and Arthur Whyte as the President putting his very strong view at the same time.

On occasions, the house was suspended when the President refused to come back into the chamber. We sat here thinking, 'Well, there's obviously something important going on at the back.' We could hear the screams going on, and the house was suspended. On one very famous occasion, when the chamber did not support a ruling of the President, the President indicated that he felt compelled, as he saw the conventions of the time, to resign as the President.

The house did not sit from between about 1am until 2am, and the then health minister, the Hon. John Cornwall, who has a Mount Gambier connection, as the Hon. Mr Maher and I would know, came into the house and adjourned the house until the next meeting so that the matter might be sorted out. It was sorted out the next morning when the Labor Party and the Democrats and everyone moved a motion of confidence in the president. I am not sure how heartfelt it was from some of those who had disagreed with him the night before; nevertheless, it was deemed to be a political resolution to something the government of the day did not want to occur, which was for the President to resign.

There were threatened court cases. The attorney-general threatened to take the President to the Supreme Court and to the High Court because he had decided that he would vote, in a deliberative fashion, on the third reading of a piece of legislation, the native vegetation legislation, something which was very important to country people in those days. The early days of native vegetation were fraught with controversy.

Arthur had voted in accordance with the legal advice he had; he had QC advice. The Hon. Mr Sumner, the government, the then solicitor-general and a number of other QCs disagreed with that position. There were threats of overturning the decision in the Supreme Court and the High Court. Eventually, the government backed off, recognised that they were unlikely to win that, and they forged a political compromise with the then President on that particular issue.

As I have said, there were other occasions when there were very significant differences of opinion between the government of the day and then President and, on some occasions, the house was suspended whilst we decided whether or not we were going to have a president. So, there were days of great controversy.

I conclude by saying that, through all of it, Arthur was a rich and staunch defender of the Legislative Council. He had a great love for this chamber; he had a great respect for its conventions and its power. I am absolutely positive that, if he were here today, as some politicians, some political commentators and others are canvassing various options to gut or reduce the powers of the Legislative Council in some way, he would be staunchly defending the existing powers, entitlements and responsibilities of this chamber as being an important part of our bicameral system in South Australia. He would have been arguing that this chamber is here as a safety net or a safety valve to protect the interests of all South Australians.

Whether they be farmers from the West Coast or whether they be any other minority that individual members of parliament might represent, he would be indicating that this chamber is the opportunity for those interests to be represented by members in this chamber and that, if there were sufficient numbers to convince this chamber, this chamber should be listened to by any government, whether it be a Labor government or whether it be a Liberal government. There are many challenges ahead of this chamber. I know that I can say without contradiction at all that in those challenges ahead, Arthur, as he demonstrated in his time of service in this parliament, would have continued to defend this chamber.

I again place on the record my acknowledgement of Arthur's service to the Liberal Party, to the Legislative Council, to the parliament and to the community. I again acknowledge Arthur's family and on this occasion pass on the condolences of not only myself but my wife, Marie, to Caroline, Mary and the family.

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:55): I stand to pay tribute to the Hon. Arthur Whyte. Mr Whyte was one of the elders of my party and I always found him to be a wise and gentle man. Since coming into this place I had the opportunity to speak with Mr Whyte, in particular about disability issues, and I was struck by his grit and character, hardly surprising considering the problems that he would have faced growing up in the Far North in those early years.

Mr Whyte grew up a few miles from Copley in the Flinders Ranges and the nearest doctor resided in Quorn, so Mr Whyte's mother had to travel to Adelaide to give birth. Mr Whyte was a Rat of Tobruk and served in El Alamein with South Australia's famous 2^nd/48^th. He lost his left arm in a pit in a freak accident during an ammunition exercise in World War II. He remembered standing ankle-deep in his own blood. Morphine was used to end the pain and the following day his arm was amputated.

At a time when this parliament is considering the reform of rehabilitation services, it is worth noting that Mr Whyte did his own rehabilitation. He did not allow his disability to hold him back. Prior to entering politics, Mr Whyte was a stockman and a station overseer. As has been recognised in parliament, Mr Whyte was a vigorous advocate for people in regional South Australia, and one of his most significant achievements was the key role he played in shepherding through the Maralinga land rights bill.

Mr Whyte thought that Parliament House should act as a model building in terms of access for people with disability. As the Leader of the Government alluded to, he had personal problems trying to access this place. Given his disability, entering Parliament House was often difficult. In order to get into the building, Mr Whyte had to put his briefcase on the floor, place his identification card in a slot located a metre from the door with his right hand and then manipulate the door handle with his leg. In The Advertiser on 28 July 1977, Mr Whyte expressed his concerns about the lack of thought shown for people with disabilities in the renovations of Parliament House. He said:

There are no amenities for disabled people in the whole scheme of renovation for Parliament House. I was an example of problems that people like me face and I was virtually sitting on their doorstep.

I am sure Mr Whyte would have welcomed the renovations of Old Parliament House which have made this place more accessible, but, of course, we still have a long way to go. I join other members in paying tribute to Mr Whyte as a man, as a parliamentarian and, of course, as the father of our respected former colleague Caroline Schaefer. Vale Arthur Whyte.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (14:58): I rise to support this motion. My first memory of the Hon. Arthur Whyte was meeting him when I was a schoolboy and he had not long been elected to this place. He and my father served together in the Legislative Council for 16 years. During that time, Mary and my mother shared a friendship, and I am delighted to say that the extended connection that has gone over the years between the Whyte and Dawkins (including Schaefer) families was extended today when my granddaughter met Mary. I think that was just an extra extension of that connection. Obviously Caroline and I served in this place for about 12½ years, I think, but Caroline and I had a strong friendship well before both of us came to this place, actually.

We have had some really good summaries of the man that Arthur Whyte was, the member of his community both around Kimba and the broader Eyre Peninsula and across South Australia, but also of the way in which he operated, particularly in the parliament. We have heard the stories that the Leader of the Government and others and I think the Hon. Rob Lucas have told about the legendary rolling of the cigarette while he was driving. My father used to tell vivid stories about those experiences. You have to remember that my father and Arthur, while they had a great friendship, had not a lot in common in that Arthur obviously liked a smoke and a drink and my father never smoked in his life and he was a teetotaller. Despite those differences, they got on very well.

I remember the vivid stories of going over to Eyre Peninsula with Arthur and going to meetings at night in various communities on Eyre Peninsula, whether they be Liberal Party meetings or community meetings, followed by late-night long drives back on unsealed roads. Those familiar with Eyre Peninsula in those days will remember the infamous Lock-Elliston Road, and the even more infamous Kimba-Cleve Road. Driving on those roads was dangerous enough in the daylight, let alone in the dark when you were rolling a cigarette with your only arm. But my father survived that, as obviously Arthur did.

I have always admired Arthur's fantastic knowledge of outback South Australia and particularly the pastoral industry. I do not think there was a station in South Australia that he did not know personally. He seemed to know who had been on that station, who was on it now and who they were related to. Most of us know that a lot of the pastoral families are quite interrelated, and Arthur could always tell you who was related to whom in outback South Australia.

I have a lasting memory of an evening at Enterprise House, where the State Council of the Liberal Party used to meet quite often, an evening where Arthur Whyte was honoured for his long service to the Liberal Party. Arthur stood up, and one of the things he said (and he directed to a lot of the younger members of our party) was that, while the Liberal Party was far from perfect and that he had disagreed with the party position on a lot of occasions, it was the closest thing by far to the political views that he held and the principles he stood for. I have always kept that in my mind at various times when you have to deal with some issues where perhaps your party position is not as easy to support as some others.

Arthur's principles, reflected in that view I think, were demonstrated in his influence on the continuing strength of the Kimba branch of the Liberal Party. Anybody who has ever been on preselection for an upper house seat would know that the Kimba branch would always meet when you came to town and put you through your paces, invariably in the Kimba Community Hotel, but that branch in many more ways I think has been a very strong entity in that community and has produced a large number of members of parliament for a branch of that size. With those words, I add my heartfelt sympathy to Mary and the Whyte family.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

Sitting suspended from 15:05 to 15:25.