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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-10-31 Daily Xml
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RSL CARE

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:28): On Friday 25 October, I attended the RSL Care SA first Patrons Lunch on behalf of minister Snelling at the RSL Villas at Angle Park. Patron Graham Nybo OAM greeted me, along with centre manager Marie Whitehead, and we joined a large gathering of RSL board members and supporters, including Jock Statton, in one of his final official duties before he retreats to a quieter life. It was good to see them all. I travelled to Long Tan with Graham Nybo, so I know his strong commitment to the returned servicemen and women of this state. Marie Whitehead has managed the centre at Angle Park for 12 years and leaves on 31 January, and we wish her well and acknowledge her and thank her for her commitment and dedication.

Several of the staff members have been there since the opening of the villas, and we thank and acknowledge them as well for their continuing contribution, along with that of the other staff in attendance at what is a very beautiful home in a quiet and picturesque setting where residents are well cared for and supported.

The villas are named after people who have made a significant contribution to the service of this country. There are villas named after Knight, McKinna, Reichner, airman Herbert (whose body was recently repatriated from Vietnam) and, of course, the now late Len Opie, whose villa was dedicated to him while he was still alive, which is, indeed, a rare and significant honour.

There are 54 residents in all at the Angle Park Villas. One of them (Mr Colin Whitehorn) is 100 years old and I am told that the former Port Adelaide butcher still visits the poker machines once a week. I look forward to a continuing relationship with the RSL Villas at Angle Vale and the RSL in general and the wider veterans' community. They have served us well and we, in turn, will always remember them and their service.

I also note that 2 November is fast approaching and that is Kokoda Day, another significant date in the veterans' calendar. Tea Tree Gully RSL will be holding their annual commemoration this Saturday at 10am at the specially-built memorial at the reserve on Whiting Road. Because my father served in New Guinea, it is a particularly relevant and poignant service. I think of all of the families of these diggers and those who survived who are now all quite elderly, so it is a really important day to remember them and their service.

In thinking of the good works of the RSL, I was reminded of an article I saw in The Advertiser on 15 October by Callie Watson. It was on the good works of the Wyatt Trust. The article states that the Wyatt trust:

...started as £53,712 grant more than 100 years ago, has resulted in more than $30 million in grants and landed a South Australian trust a spot on a list of the country's greatest charitable gifts of all time.

Dr William Wyatt's generous bequest in 1886 bore The Wyatt Trust which gives millions to [South Australians in need] each year...A working group including Pro Bono Australia and Philanthropy Australia compiled the top 50 philanthropic gifts list, which will be cut down to a top 10 after a public vote closes on October 28.

So we wish them well because, of course, that has closed now and we should be hearing about that result in no time. The article continues:

Wyatt Trust chief executive Paul Maddern said...grants had been distributed in the past 127 years.

Mr Maddern said:

Dr Wyatt might not be one of Adelaide's best known people, but the foresight he showed and the generosity of his bequest has had a big impact on the generations that came after his death.

In my years of public service I have called the Wyatt Trust from time to time on behalf of constituents in need. Wyatt is a compassionate and caring organisation, particularly involved with organisations like Uniting Care Wesley, Lutheran Community Care and United Communities, enabling more people to engage in financial counselling. These organisations are active all over South Australia and in the North-East are involved, along with the Salvation Army, in setting up the no-interest loan scheme service in our area, something I had worked very hard with them to make sure came to pass and I was very happy to fully support them.

NILS has been a very successful scheme helping many families, and while we would all want society to be a place where such schemes were not necessary, it is good to know that help is at hand in times of great emergency or need. The North-East no-interest loan scheme is a fine example of what a community can do when it gets galvanised and moves into action. The community does have the power to do good work and there are many fine examples of that in Florey, a place where community links are strong and where community really does count.

The SPEAKER: Before calling the member for Kavel, Member for Florey, I presume the reference to Angle Vale should have been Angle Park?

Ms BEDFORD: Thank you, very good of you to pick that up, sir; yes, definitely Angle Park.

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