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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-02-14 Daily Xml
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BARRY, MR PHIL

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:56): During grievance debates we hear many comments and reflections on the lives of people, and I wish to take this opportunity to reflect upon a person by the name of Phil Barry, a good friend of mine who passed away, sadly, just after Christmas. Phil was the CEO of the Wakefield Regional Council. I first met him in 1983. He was a man who dedicated his life to the service of the community, and I think he has left a legacy that will be very hard to be filled by any person.

Phil became quite sick in May last year when he was diagnosed with an aggressive malignant brain tumour. For a man who had been so active and constantly involved in community affairs to suddenly not be able to do that anymore was devastating to him but, as was his nature, he took it on the chin and did all that he could during his treatment to still fight for the community's issues.

When he was going to the RAH, he appointed himself as spiritual leader of a group that was receiving treatment, inspiring these people to make sure that they focused on getting through the next month and being there for their child's or their wife's birthday, making sure that they were there for special family events, because he wanted to celebrate those, too. So, it was very sad for all of us when Phil died on 28 December.

Phil continued to work from home. I am advised that he continued to send out a constant stream of emails—and I got some of them, too—not quite as flawlessly checked and corrected as they might have normally been because he was starting to have trouble with his eyes and with focusing. However, he was still quite passionate about what was important to him.

One particular thing he took great offence to was the issue of school bus contracts, which other members of this chamber would be aware of. Certainly, he still pursued developments within his community. He was the CEO of the council while on sick leave, but I know that at least two meetings were arranged in Parliament House, where he met with delegations of ministers and myself about Wakefield Waters—a development at Port Wakefield—because he was passionate about trying to make that happen.

I still saw him at community functions, particularly at celebrations of projects that he had been involved with, and two of those were the opening—with the gracious funding support of the government—of the CFS stations at Hamley Bridge and Balaclava. Phil was there, quite swollen, because the treatment he was receiving caused him to retain a lot more fluid. He had difficulty with his eyes and focusing on things but, importantly, he would come and talk to people and ask them about their lives. He still always had an interest in the people around him.

We all loved Phil Barry, and I think it was reflected at his funeral service, which was held at the Balaclava Town Hall in early January. Instead of a grave-site service or a church service, Phil came to a facility that he helped to rebuild, which was close to being closed down at one stage. The facility was full. People from a wide section of the community were there. Phil lived in Balaclava for a long time. In the period before that, he lived in Blyth, an even smaller community.

People reflected on Phil as a tennis player, in horse trotting, what he had done for community groups, his focus on economic development, and, indeed, his hopes that Balaclava and the Wakefield regional area would become one of the jewels in the crown for South Australia, a place people would want to see and continue to move to, creating vibrant jobs. It is impossible to talk about Phil Barry without reflecting upon his wife, Helen—a great lady. Phil and Helen were married in 1984. They were blessed by the birth of their daughter, Vanessa, in July 1995, and she has grown into a wonderful young person because of the mentoring that her father provided to her.

I know that, in my time in local government, I aspired to be as good as Phil Barry. I consider myself to be an honest person who tries to speak the truth all the time, but I am a criminal in comparison to Phil Barry because he is the hardest working, most honest bloke I have ever known in my life. I met with some constituents who were upset about some of the actions of council and what they perceived to be actions of Phil Barry and as soon as they started to talk to me about corruption, I just said, 'I'm not going to listen to you any more because I've known this bloke for 20 years. He is honest. I do not accept what you're saying,' and I walked away because that is the respect that I hold for the fellow. Constituents can talk to us about many things, but when you know it not to be true, I believe it is a waste of time, and that is how I demonstrated it.

Phil, to the end of his days, tried to inspire the staff of the Wakefield Regional Council to do the best they could every day for their community. He left an attitude behind him that I think will continue to inspire people. I know his daughter and his wife are very proud when, in their community, they can look upon things that are in that town and they can reflect upon the fact that their husband and their dad made it possible. Vale, Phil Barry. You will be remembered by thousands of people who have interacted with you over the years. The legacy you leave is an absolutely positive one. I hope one day to catch up for a beer with him in the afterlife.

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