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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-06-12 Daily Xml
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QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONOURS

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (15:19): I rise today to pay tribute to three legends in the seat of Mawson, who were very deserving recipients yesterday of Order of Australia medals in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. I congratulate Eric Bennett, Mos Hancock and Paul Rosser for the significant contribution they have made to our local area over many years. Eric Bennett has played a major role in the development and operation of the Hackham West Community Centre as a hands-on volunteer and a manager, serving as chairman for four terms. His capacity to lead the growth of community services in Hackham West is worthy of recognition. Growth of such services has been achieved through personal attributes, to encourage others, to give his time and to take an interest, as well as through skills and a determination to fund the growth of the Hackham West Community Centre. After 20 years of voluntary service, Eric continues on the board of management and does a terrific job with the local people. Whenever you go around to the Hackham West Community Centre he is always there, as he has always been there for so many years.

Mos Hancock has made a significant contribution to a number of South Australian communities through his lifelong voluntary involvement in community organisations wherever he has lived, particularly with his support for veterans and Legacy, and his involvement with sporting clubs, the Willunga Recreation Park and the Willunga RSL. He is the President of the Willunga Recreation Park, a $5 million facility entirely owned by the community of Willunga, and in this capacity he has ensured an annual turnover of $250,000 while continuing to expand the services and opportunities available to his community, campaigning tirelessly to raise over $25,000 in sponsorship. One thing about Mos (and I have had plenty do with him), every year that I have been the local member Mos has been at me to see whether we can get some more money for sport and recreation grants. I am happy to say that most times we have been able to oblige, but we are always after a little bit more for the Willunga rec centre.

In serving his community, Mos has overcome post-traumatic stress disorder and depression brought on by his time as a rifleman in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970. Mos has been involved in more than 17 different community organisations in a variety of posts since his return from Vietnam, including sporting clubs, the RSL, Legacy, the veterans' community and festival committees, and he continues to work in conjunction with the Onkaparinga council on Avenues of Honour.

Paul Rosser has worked as an environmentalist in a number of organisations over a long period of time to make a huge impact on the environment and on community attitudes in the southern region of South Australia. His service in this area has been as an unpaid volunteer. He has been an active member of organisations such as Trees for Life, the Willunga Creeks Project, the Willunga Environment Centre, the Willunga Hillsface Landcare Group and the Washpool Restoration Steering Committee.

He has single-handedly planted more than 250,000 trees in our local area. He has encouraged and organised others to be involved in the restoration of native vegetation and habitat, and he has been active in mentoring, educating and training volunteers and children from local schools in how to propagate trees. He has taken the lead using initiative to write submissions and to liaise with all levels of government to obtain more than $1 million in grant money for environmental work.

It was great to talk to all three of these gentlemen yesterday. I called around to see Paul, because, when I rang, his wife, Bronwen, said that he could not come to the phone because there was a scrub fire in the creek. He is only around the corner, so I went around to his house and he was there. A couple of young fellows—they were only about 11—decided to light a fire in the creek to keep warm. No malice was intended at all but the fire got away. The CFS was there and the police were there. Paul said, 'I was talking to this young fellow—he's 11 years old. He said that it was the worst thing that's ever happened in his life.' Paul, at 66, always the mentor said, 'You're going to have worse days than this. It was an accident. You didn't mean to do it.' That is the great strength of Paul. Like all these three gentlemen, they look out for other people in the community and pass on some wise words and counselling where it is needed.

I spoke to Eric, and he thought it was fantastic, not as a personal win for him but for Hackham West, because as a suburb it often gets a lot of unwarranted negative publicity. So, it was terrific, he thought, that Hackham West was being recognised for some really good things, and to be up there in the Queen's Birthday Honours list was something that he, Mos and Paul were extremely proud of.

Their families were all gathered around yesterday in their homes to celebrate, and I am sure that, later in the year, the families will gather at Government House for a very important milestone as these people are recognised for the fantastic contribution they have made.

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