Hurn, Mr B.

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.L. Brokenshire:

That this council—

1. Expresses its deep regret at the passing of Mr Brian Hurn OAM, former mayor of the Barossa Council and former president of the Local Government Association; and

2. Places on record its appreciation of his distinguished service to local government and to the broader community.

(Continued from 10 February 2016.)

The Hon. T.T. NGO (17:47): I rise to support this motion which honours the life of the late Mr Brian Hurn OAM who sadly passed away on 18 October 2015 after a long illness. First of all, I would like to pass on my condolences to Brian's family.

Brian Hurn was the loving husband of Gillian Hurn, deceased; loving father and father-in-law of William and Sandi Hurn; Stephen and Jenny Hurn; and Joanne (his, sadly, deceased daughter). He is survived by seven grandchildren: Shannon, Ashton, Jessica, Hannah, Laura, Harry and Mary. He was the loved brother of Malcolm, Richard, Geoffrey, and Lynette.

I do not profess to have known Brian, but from what I have read and heard Brian was a mate to many and a great credit to the Barossa—a fact attested to by many members of parliament and the South Australian community who attended Brian's funeral in Angaston. The chamber has already heard much of Brian's achievements and personal anecdotes from the Hon. Mr Brokenshire and the Hon. Mr Dawkins who both gave great tributes. I will try to be brief and reiterate some of Brian's stellar achievements both in local government and in the sporting realm.

Brian Hurn was born in Angaston and grew up on a sheep and cattle property. He had an idyllic childhood and remembered fondly walking to school through the paddocks to Good Shepherd Primary School. Later, he attended Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. Brian started his political career when Colin Angas asked Brian to stand for the district council of Angaston in 1978. He was a councillor, deputy chairman and then chairman of the district council of Angaston before the Barossa Council was created in 1996.

Brian was then the inaugural mayor of the Barossa Council from 1996 and held the position for 17 years. He was vice-president of the Local Government Association for four years and president for two years. In 1999, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia and in 2010 the Local Government Association's John Legoe Award. It is clear, on reading about Brian's political career, that he cared deeply for the Barossa region and worked tirelessly to advocate for the region. As a former councillor on the Port Adelaide Enfield council, I can in some way appreciate this.

However, as many honourable members know, Brian not only had a stellar political career, he was a first-class cricket player and was part of the South Australian Sheffield Shield winning side in 1963-64. He played 31 first-class cricket matches for South Australia in a career spanning nine seasons from 1957 to 1967.

Brian also played football and served for many years on the Angaston Football Club committee. He was instrumental in building the clubrooms. As an avid sportsman, he continued to play lawn bowls. Brian was very involved in his community and formed the Tarrawatta Fire Organisation with farmers in his area. During his time with the Country Fire Service, no-one was lost during any firefighting. I commend this motion to the council.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (17:51): I thank the Hon. John Dawkins on behalf of the Liberal Party and the Hon. Tung Ngo on behalf of the Labor Party for their contributions. I think the fact that there have been contributions from the Liberal Party, the Labor Party and the crossbenches just reinforces how respected Mr Brian Hurn was on all sides of the political spectrum, and rightly so. I am sure he is smiling today as we conclude this debate, enshrining permanently in the parliament something well deserved, and that is recognition of a great man, a great South Australian and a great contributor to the wellbeing of our state. I commend the motion to the house.

Motion carried.