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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-12 Daily Xml
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PENN, MR M.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:20): Although some time has elapsed since his death, today I would like to speak about Mr Malcolm Penn OAM, who passed away on 10 August this year aged just 69. When I read his obituary in The Advertiser on 4 October (and I will be referring to that article), I remembered how much I was impressed by Malcolm and his wife, Rosemary, whom I had met at various functions since my election, mostly through their work for the Charles Bright Scholarship Trust. The scholarship was established in 1985 in the memory of Sir Charles Bright, a former judge of the Supreme Court, chancellor of Flinders University and chairman of the committee into the rights of the disabled.

The scholarships of $1,000 are presented annually and are awarded to disabled persons undertaking post-secondary education whether at university, TAFE or other recognised educational institutions. To date, the trustees have granted over 100 scholarships to applicants who must be residents of South Australia and in various areas of post-secondary education and with various disabilities, including hearing impaired, vision impaired and paraplegics. The work of the trust is to be commended and continues to change lives. Malcolm was an outstanding role model and developed his abilities to their full potential.

He was born the sighted son of Oswald and Jessie Penn on 28 July 1939 in Cook South Australia. In April 1943, Malcolm suffered a severe injury at Coonana in WA, and although being treated first at Kalgoorlie and then for many months at the Adelaide Children's Hospital, he became blind. He attended Townsend House, another organisation I admire greatly, especially for its CanDo4Kids programs. Malcolm learned to read braille and touch-type, and he even made a presentation to Helen Keller, the first deaf/blind person to graduate from college in the United States of America. She was, no doubt, a major influence and encouragement for Malcolm. Australia has much to do in its efforts to ensure people with dual sensory disability receive the help they need to enjoy a good standard of education and quality of life.

A long love of sport began for Malcolm in 1946 when he first heard radio descriptions of Don Bradman batting in Brisbane against England. His father made a tennis ball with a rattle inside so he could play. As patron of blind sports in South Australia, I can only say how much I admire anyone who can hit a ball and play sport, let alone someone playing with a disability. I want to thank my constituents Ray and Jill McKay for involving me with many wonderful people involved in blind sports. To be involved, blind athletes need sighted people to assist them. We are always looking for volunteers such as my friend, Peter James, who, although a very busy businessman, manages to assist one of his friends participate in a chosen sport.

Malcolm attended Pulteney Grammar School from 1950, and with the help of Canon Ray, gained leaving honours. Aided by a sharp memory, Malcolm studied arts and law at the University of Adelaide between 1959 and 1964, and became interested in social justice and politics from that time. Neighbours and friends would read him his textbooks and Malcolm would type his own notes.

During that period, he travelled to Perth for his first guide dog, Rena, which he trained in 1961. Over the years, Caesar, Fritz and Vinty allowed Malcolm to maintain his independence. Through this obvious need, Malcolm became involved with the Guide Dogs Association, becoming a life member in 2006. He played a prominent role in the early 1970s in the enactment of legislation to ensure guide dogs were permitted to accompany their owners in public places. It is a shame this need is still not always respected. In July 2000, Malcolm and Vinty carried the Olympic torch and, at the time of Vinty's death in 2006, Malcolm was the longest serving guide dog owner.

Getting back to Malcolm's law career, he commenced articles in 1962 and became the first totally blind person admitted to the bar in South Australia, entering private practice in 1964 and going on to the Community Welfare Department and then the Legal Services Commission until his retirement in 1996. Malcolm met Rosemary Jackson when she helped out reading his textbooks, and they married in 1969 in England.

Turning to Malcolm's sporting achievements, while apparently always a lifelong South Adelaide Panther supporter, he was a founding member in 1966 of the South Australian Blind Cricket Club and also a life member. He played 500 games up to 1996, with 100 appearances for South Australia at national carnivals and was named in the Australian XI in 1982 to 1983. He went on to be involved in the initiation of the first blind cricket world cup. Malcolm was a prolific fundraiser and worker in many capacities to assist others with special needs, receiving the OAM in 2003 for his life of service to others, which I can only briefly cover in this contribution.

My sincere sympathies go to Rosemary, his sons, David and Philip, and to Malcolm's mother, Jessie. He will always be greatly remembered and sadly missed.

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