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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-09 Daily Xml
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FERGUSON, MR EUAN

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:46): I pay tribute today to the service of Mr Euan Ferguson of the Country Fire Service in South Australia. As I understand it, Mr Ferguson finishes at the end of this week and goes on to head up the Country Fire Authority in Victoria, which will be a great challenge. It is interesting that Mr Ferguson came to us from the CFA. He was one of a number of deputy chief officers over there. He was hand picked by Mr Stuart Ellis at that time, the CEO of the Country Fire Service in South Australia. Mr Ellis made a great decision, based on character and the knowledge of what Mr Ferguson could do for the CFS in South Australia.

Mr Ferguson quickly and quite appropriately identified very strongly with the volunteers in South Australia and worked very closely with them, and is still working very closely with volunteers up until the day that he finishes here. Indeed, his links with the volunteers and probably his finest hours grew out of the disaster that was the Wangary fires. He initiated an enormous amount of change within the CFS over the outcomes of the Wangary fires, which he is to be commended for. He did a wonderful job in very trying circumstances, and all of us in this place know what a disaster those Wangary fires were.

He has had a series of fires over the years but, most fortunately for him—and I hope for his successor and his successor's successor, quite frankly—he has escaped a conflagration in the Adelaide Hills, something that worries the daylights out of those of us who know fire. Members with seats in the Adelaide Hills will be only too aware of what could happen up there; given the incredible spring that we have had this year and the huge amount of spring growth, it is appropriate. I note that the minister and emergency services personnel were trying to wake people up a couple of weeks ago on TV news, and I think the Premier was up there as well. What could happen up there has terrified—and I think 'terrified' is probably the right word—the CFS, and Mr Ferguson has had to deal with that aspect of terror for quite some time since he has been here.

It has been very much a twosome. Euan's wife Kristin has accompanied him all around South Australia. She has been an enormous support to Euan over this period since 2002 with the CFS, and I take my hat off to the pair of them, and particularly to Kristin for her effort. I know that she will continue to be a great support to him as he takes on the task in front of him in Victoria in the CFA, particularly given the fires over there a couple of years ago. It is a long way from sorted out.

He has had special links into the other emergency service agencies in South Australia which have been most important. Euan Ferguson is a fellow who has the ability to get on with people. He does not bear grudges, and if he has a row it is business as usual straight afterwards. I think that this initiation of SAFECOM was not the best thing in the world for Euan. In my view, if he had had the opportunity, he would have been a very good person to run SAFECOM. However, that did not transpire, and I suspect that the CFS has had its trials and tribulations from the commencement of SAFECOM and will continue to do so.

Euan has also had an extremely good deputy in Mr Andrew Lawson. Andrew is a special person. He has been more than equal to the task of being deputy to Euan Ferguson. I know that Euan has relied on his counsel and relied on his support. Having spent a long time in the CFS myself, and a number of years as chairman of the board, the CFS and some of its personnel, the paid staff and also the volunteer staff are not the easiest people in the world to get on with, and I can recall attempts to slot the former CEO coming from within the staff, probably from people who have gone now, but he has had to manage that.

Euan Ferguson is indeed a very fine fellow. South Australia and the CFS is better for having had him here for those eight or so years. He goes on with the full support of members of this parliament, I am sure.

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