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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-10-15 Daily Xml
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CARPENTER, B.S.

The Hon. L.R. BREUER (Giles) (15:27): Today I want to pay tribute to a wonderful young man who recently passed away in Whyalla. Bailey Stephen Carpenter, who was born on 19 November 1999, passed away on 27 September 2013 after losing his long battle with cancer. He was just 13 years old. Bailey's death was felt with great sadness by the Whyalla community because he was an inspirational young man and he touched many lives. His father, Steve, described him as determined, smart and gifted. He also was a real character. Bailey was fun to be with and he was a good friend to many people who found him to be one of those people who rarely come into our lives but certainly make a real impact on us as individuals and as a community.

Bailey was born with a condition called retino blastoma and at just four months old he had a cancer removed from behind one of his eyes and then at the age of six he had his second tumour removed, so Bailey was blind from six years old. Although he was faced with a lot of adversity, Bailey would push through it all and always had a huge smile on his face. He did a lot of things that most people would not dream that a blind person could do.

He liked riding his quad motorbike, he played guitar, he loved to kick the footy. He had a training football with an elastic called a mark master and he loved to kick the footy around with his mates. He used to kick it around all the time. Although he was blind, Bailey learned to play the guitar and he had aspirations of one day becoming a famous guitarist. I understand his guitar teacher was into heavy metal and so there was music like AC/DC and Metallica that he played. I am glad I wasn't around when he played that.

In his early years, he loved to be on his scooter and he often used to ride it to Memorial Oval Primary School. Sometimes his mother said he would ride to school alongside her and she would be screaming, 'Stop! Left! Right! Go!'

Bailey attended Memorial Oval Primary School, and I want to pay tribute to the school there because they gave him a lot of support over the years. He certainly made many friends there, including Tennyson, my grandson, and he was loved by all who were there with him. The other students did not see his disability: they just saw him as a determined, tough, young friend who was fun to be with and who also had a great sense of humour, which often was at his own expense.

The school and his friends never left him out of anything. Modifications were made to all sorts of activities and he took part in them. His love of athletics saw him selected to attend the SAPSASA Athletics Carnival, which is an important carnival in country South Australia, and he won two silvers and a bronze medal at that carnival.

He loved his family and his siblings, Dylan and Jenna, very much. He loved family time with them and talking to them, and he liked to assert his seniority, being the older brother—and I can identify with that. The Carpenters said that through all Bailey's battling, because he was diagnosed about 12 or 18 months ago again with cancer, he really never once complained.

The family are hoping that many will hear of Bailey's story and be inspired by his willpower and his determination and that kids who think that maybe their goals are out of reach, that things are a bit too hard, or that they are not smart enough will never give up. Bailey achieved a lot of things that the family never thought he could—things that can be achieved no matter what obstacles are put in front of you.

I remember Bailey at Murninnie Beach, roaring around on his quad bike, laughing and enjoying the wind in his face. I thought, 'What an amazing child!' Of course, he was a very avid Crows supporter, which was very much in his favour as well. I think Bailey would have become a very great man, but he did leave instead an inspiration for us all. His last 12 months were extremely tough for him. He and his mother were in Adelaide for much of that time, in Ronald McDonald House, away from the support of their community and their family.

I want to pass on my sincere sympathy to Steve and Shelley. We cannot imagine their loss, but there is no more suffering for that dear little boy. I want to thank his parents for allowing us as a community to share him. I know he will inspire so many to change their lives. I also want to pay particular tribute to his parents, who gave their son a wonderful life. It is Carers Week. They have cared for him for all of his life, particularly during the last 12 months. I want to thank them for that, for giving us their son and for being such an inspiration and encouragement to us all.

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