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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-07-04 Daily Xml
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SEAMAN, SIR KEITH

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (14:00): By leave, I move:

That the House of Assembly expresses its deep regret at the death of the late Sir Keith Thomas Seaman KCVO OBE, a former governor of this state, and places on record its appreciation of his distinguished service to the state; and that, as a mark of respect to his memory, the sitting of the house be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

The Reverend Sir Keith Douglas Seaman, who died peacefully at his home in Tasmania last Sunday, was born at Tatachilla, in McLaren Vale, in 1920. He was one of eight children in a family that was actively involved in the life of the local Methodist Church. Like many of his generation, he spent his early adult years in war service. During the Second World War, he served with the RAAF, in which he held the rank of flight lieutenant.

After the war, he resumed civilian life as a clerical officer in the Public Service, studying part time at university to earn arts and law degrees. He followed this with further study for the ministry in the then Methodist Church, serving first at Renmark. From 1958, he achieved increasing public prominence through his work at what was then the Adelaide Central Methodist Mission. The work of the mission continued as UnitingCare Wesley Adelaide, still from its base in Pitt Street in the city.

During the years until 1977, many of them as superintendent of the mission, Keith Seaman became widely known for his commitment to social welfare. He played a leading role in the establishment of the Lifeline telephone counselling service and was a prominent broadcaster on radio and television. As superintendent of the mission, he publicly joined the campaign in the 1970s for decriminalisation of same-sex practices.

During the 1970s, he was appointed to the national commission on social welfare, established by the Whitlam Labor government. In 1976, he was president of the South Australian Methodist Conference, on the eve of most Methodist, Congregationalist and Presbyterian parishes joining to form the Uniting Church.

He was appointed as governor in September 1977, the second successive minister of religion to serve as state governor. He succeeded Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls, whose ill-health cut short his term in that office. Keith and Joan Seaman brought to Government House a no-fuss style of approachability and engagement. The knighthood in October 1981, it was said at the time, came as a sudden surprise and in somewhat unusual circumstances.

Still serving as governor, he was made a Knight of the Royal Victorian Order, a form of knighthood that is the personal gift of the sovereign, not the result of any process of recommendation for honours. His knighthood was conferred while Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were in Adelaide after attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Melbourne. Sir Keith and Lady Seaman continued to serve until April 1982, when the late Sir Donald Dunstan became governor.

In 1983, Sir Keith was appointed chair of the then state government committee which recommended grants for voluntary agencies. This continued a commitment to serving the community which characterised his adult life. It was something of a family tradition. An older brother, Gilbert Seaman, was a long-serving and distinguished official of the state Treasury, serving as under treasurer from 1960 to 1972. Gilbert Seaman is credited with much of the work which underlay Sir Thomas Playford's transformation of this state's economy.

The Reverend Sir Keith Seaman is survived by his daughter Christine, his son John and 10 grandchildren. I extend condolences to his family and friends. I also place on record our appreciation of his long and meritorious public service. I commend the motion to the house.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood—Leader of the Opposition) (14:04): I rise to second the motion on behalf of the South Australian Liberal Party and I offer our most sincere condolences to the family of Sir Keith Seaman, the governor of South Australia from 1977 to 1982. Sir Keith served this state with great dignity and diligence. His five years as Governor were marked by a commitment to remain one of the people despite the obvious privilege and trappings of high office. This clear desire to remain active within and accessible to the wider community was born from a life dedicated to social welfare prior to assuming the role of Governor.

Indeed, it was social welfare and social justice that were the hallmarks of Sir Keith's long and illustrious career, from his student days studying law and arts at the University of Adelaide to serving as flight lieutenant in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War and being ordained as a Methodist minister at Renmark in 1954. His work as a minister of religion and his obvious passion for community saw him play a significant role over almost 20 years at what was then the Central Methodist Mission, later to become UnitingCare Wesley and, most recently, Uniting Communities. During this time, he was also a counsellor for Lifeline, a broadcaster on 5KA and a robust advocate for youth.

On being appointed governor, Sir Keith managed to maintain strong links to the social welfare sector in South Australia, and he never once wavered from what had become a lifelong commitment to the care and wellbeing of others. This commitment was rewarded with a knighthood bestowed by the Queen during her 1981 visit to South Australia and in 2003 as a most deserving recipient of the Centenary Medal. In so many ways, Sir Keith Seaman was the embodiment of community virtue and service.

He was a no-fuss governor, a man who would often leave the confines of Government House to walk around the city, stopping to chat with passersby. He was a clever and articulate governor who would often stay up past midnight writing his speeches in longhand for the next day. He was a caring governor, a man who always saw the inherent good in people. His son John has reflected on this publicly in recent days by saying, 'He was well respected by all people in every walk of life.' This seems a most fitting and appropriate tribute. I endorse this motion and reiterate the Liberal Party's condolences to the family of Sir Keith Seaman at this very sad time.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (14:07): I would like to pay tribute to Sir Keith Seaman. Certainly, when I knew him, he had not been knighted. He was the main preacher at the Maughan Methodist mission church that I attended regularly. He also was a great encourager of young people (at that time I was a young person) and made sure that there were lots of different fora that we could meet in.

One of the most famous was the Rendezvous Club at the Maughan Methodist Church, where a number of people under the age of 25 would meet and have cordial and coffee and also fellowship. Also, we would be organised to go on different expeditions to places like the equivalent of the Belair National Park. There were very healthy, and usually sport-related, activities that we were encouraged to participate in.

Keith Seaman would always come along with us and was part of the life of the party. He was a great communicator, as has already been said, and someone who was very easy to talk to. One of the things that really impressed me about him was his commitment to Lifeline, which my mother eventually became executive director of for the Maughan Methodist Church. He wanted to make sure that there was another person on the end of the phone when people were in a crisis situation or just needed someone to talk to. I think members in this house would agree that Lifeline continues to be a fantastic resource for people in South Australia.

The last thing I would like to say is that I am not sure about other people's experiences of sermons in church, but his sermons were always interesting and thought-provoking and sometimes questioned some of the principles and morals held by those of us in the congregation, and they also quite often had an international theme and made sure we were thinking about how we could do our best to make things better. So, vale to Sir Keith Seaman, and my condolences to his family.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (14:10): I rise to support this motion. Sir Keith Seaman is yet another example of the fine people we have in South Australia who do a job, not only as governor, but also as part of the community and, in this particular case, the church. I can say that I only encountered Sir Keith Seaman once, or I should really say that he encountered me. I was turning into Chandlers Hill Road at Happy Valley and, next thing, this car hit the back of my car.

I had my vet's four-wheel drive at that time and there was a big step and tow bar on the back. I got out and there was no damage to my car, and this gentleman stepped out, very apologetic and quite shaken up, and it was Sir Keith Seaman. I looked at him and I looked at his car and I said, 'I'm sorry I stopped so quickly.' With that we parted our ways, and I do not have any whiplash, and I certainly was impressed, even by that brief encounter, that the man was a true gentleman.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence:


[Sitting suspended from 14:12 to 14:20]


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