Motions

Mead, Sister J.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (12:47): I move:

That this council—

1. Notes the passing of Sister Janet Mead in January 2022; and

2. Recognises the contribution of Sister Janet Mead to the Aboriginal community and homeless people in Adelaide.

This motion is a simple motion. It recognises the work and contribution of Sister Janet Mead and marks the passing of a significant South Australian. Sister Janet Mead was born on 15 August 1937 and passed away on 26 January 2022. She was a teacher for almost 30 years, between 1955 and 1984. While I am not religious, I note that she founded the Rock Mass 50 years ago, which still continues today. In doing so, she realised that conservative and traditional organisations needed to offer an olive branch to a changing world and engage new generations.

From my perspective, and I think from many perspectives, perhaps her most important achievement was the foundation of the Adelaide Day Centre for the homeless in September 1985. Supporting the most marginalised in our community is indeed a noble cause that many talk about, but only a rare few, like Sister Janet Mead, made it their life's work.

I remember first meeting Sister Janet Mead at the Adelaide Day Centre almost 20 years ago, not quite to the day, and certainly next month or the month after would mark 20 years since I first met Sister Janet Mead. It was during the first few weeks of my first job in politics with the Hon. Terry Roberts—my second favourite Terry I have known in this chamber, I suspect, sir.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: No—your first favourite and my first favourite too.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: No, that would be misleading: my very first favourite, sir. Many who knew the Hon. Terry Roberts would be as surprised as I was when, very early on in the first few weeks of working for him, he told us we were going to lunch at the Adelaide Day Centre with a group of nuns. Terry and I shared a lot in common, including some of our religious views and probably the lack of our attendance at organised religious services.

However, after that first visit with Sister Janet Mead, the extraordinary work she and her sisters at the Adelaide Day Centre did in caring for many in the community became very clear. It was quite phenomenal. I know that many who worked for Terry at the time, including former long-time adviser John Sutherland, still kept up a lot of contact with the Sisters of Mercy at the Adelaide Day Centre. John would regularly drop in produce from his property on Yorke Peninsula to Sister Janet and others.

It was always an interesting and sometimes challenging visit to the Adelaide Day Centre. For those who have not had a lunch at the Adelaide Day Centre, you go to their place in the east of the city, sit down with the staff and clients and eat a meal that has been cooked by the same people with the many ingredients they grow in their own gardens—gardens, I might add, with little patches that are mostly named after socialist revolutionaries from around the world. With that, I could relate very strongly to Sister Janet Mead.

Over lunch, we would talk. We would meet and hear directly from the people Sister Janet Mead was supporting and advocating for, and we would be amazed at the energy and the tireless work and service. The last time I saw Sister Janet Mead was at one of those lunches towards the start of the pandemic. I was invited there with the member for Reynell in another place, Katrine Hildyard, and we talked with Sister Janet Mead and representatives from the group Nunga Babies Watch.

This group had been formed to address some of the issues dealing with the separation of Aboriginal mothers from their newborn children. Some of the stories we heard from the people Sister Janet Mead had invited there were stories of Aboriginal women with English as a second language who had had their newborn babies removed at birth without really understanding what was going on. I thank Sister Janet Mead and the others there for bringing it so passionately to our attention. As I said, this is how I knew Sister Janet Mead: a fearless advocate for marginalised people in our society and a great friend for the Aboriginal community, particularly in Adelaide.

Many others will remember sister Janet Mead for her musical career. I think her rock version of the Lord's Prayer was the first ever Australian recording to sell over a million copies in the US, and I think it went to No. 3 or No. 4 on the US Billboard charts as well as staying in the top 10 in Adelaide and in Australia for a very long time, but I am sure that is not what Sister Janet Mead would most want to be remembered for. It is for her work at the Adelaide Day Centre and for those who needed her support, care and advocacy that I remember her. Rest in peace, Sister Janet Mead.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. N.J. Centofanti.

Sitting suspended from 12:53 to 14:15.