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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
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Condolence

Freebairn, Mr J.S.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (13:59): I move:

That the House of Assembly expresses its deep regret at the death of Mr John Sydney Freebairn, former member of this place, and places on record its appreciation of his meritorious service, and that as a mark of respect to his memory the sitting of the house be suspended until the ringing of the bells.

It was with sadness that we recently learned of the death of John Sydney Freebairn, a former member for Light and the champion of the state's farming community. Mr Freebairn passed away at Alma, just north of Hamley Bridge, on 5 January 2016 at the age of 85. His funeral at the Owen Community Hall on 15 January was attended by many local people and former political associates, and he was laid to rest that the Alma North Cemetery.

Born on 31 July 1930, he was educated at Alma South School, Scotch College and the School of Mines. A true son of the Lower Mid North, he grew up and prospered on the family farm and came into this place with a wealth of accomplishment and practical experience. For example, he was a justice of the peace and he had been a member and officeholder of the Wheat and Wool Growers Association, the Alma Agricultural Bureau and the Hamley Bridge hospital board.

At the general election of March 1962 he became the then youngest member of the House of Assembly by winning the seat of Light for the Liberal and Country League. In his first speech to this place he spoke about three topics that were and I am sure still are vital to people living in that productive part of the state. Those topics were water, power and roads. Mr Freebairn was re-elected in 1965 and 1968, and he held the position of parliamentary undersecretary in the premier's department for one year from April 1969.

In the lead-up to the historic 1970 state election he lost preselection for Light to Dr Bruce Eastick, who among other things went on to become the Leader of the Opposition. Mr Freebairn was a leading member of the Liberal Movement, the 'small l' breakaway from the Liberal and Country League that changed the face of conservative politics and the state's electoral system in the early to mid 1970s.

At the March 1973 election, when Legislative Council members still represented districts, Mr Freebairn unsuccessfully contested the district of Midland. The end of his parliamentary career and ambitions did not signal the end of his commitment to the community and state. For instance, Mr Freebairn remained a member of the Hamley Bridge hospital board until 1989, the same year he ended his decade-long period as the state director of South Australian Cooperative Bulk Handling. Being both a dedicated servant of the people of Light and an advocate for reform, Mr Freebairn was a hardworking and admirable member of this chamber.

On behalf of members on this side I extend my condolences to his family and friends, especially his wife Susan, his siblings David and Claire, and members of his stepfamily.

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): I rise to second the Premier's motion and speak on the sad passing of the former member for Light, Mr John Sydney Freebairn. On behalf of the state Liberal Party I would like to pass on my sincere condolences to his family.

John was a proud country man. The rich soils of South Australia ran through his veins from the moment he was born until his last breath. Born in 1930 to Thomas and Anne Freebairn, John was the eldest of three siblings. The Freebairns were descendants of a pioneer family in the town of Alma, 7 kilometres out of Owen. While Alma was a small town, this is where John spent his early years, attending school at Alma South Primary School and fully immersing himself in country life. He later attended Balaklava High School, Scotch College and the University of Adelaide, where he excelled before returning to farm the land he loved.

During his early years he completed training in real estate, welding, accounting and valuation, but he always described himself first and foremost as a farmer. John was a civic-minded man and, while some may have been content to make their living and tend their farms quietly, John involved himself in the community wholeheartedly. He took a prominent role as chairman of the Alma branch of the agricultural bureau and was an active member South Australian Wheat and Wool Growers Association and the Hamley Bridge hospital board.

John sought preselection for the Liberal and Country League in the seat of Light in 1962. Despite being only 30 years old at the time and up against a field of nine other mostly older men, John was successful. Newspaper clippings at the time remarked upon how the young, 'single' man from a 'pioneering family' would become the youngest MP in the parliament if elected. Naturally, he achieved this and entered the parliament as a fresh-faced country boy 20 years younger than most of his colleagues. During his maiden speech John outlined his commitment to his rural electorate of then 6,000 constituents, saying:

I thank the people in the Light district for electing me as their representative…I assure all sections of the community in Light and the electors, whatever their political views may be, that while I am their member I will cooperate with and assist them at all times.

John was known throughout his electorate as being a decent and humble man who spent his time visiting his constituents and, importantly, listening to their concerns. He was acutely aware of the pressures faced by our primary producers around electricity and water resources, and ensured that the parliament was fully briefed about these issues at all times. During his time in parliament, John was a member of the parliamentary committee on land settlement and a parliamentary undersecretary.

While I did not know John personally, I was very pleased to attend his memorial service held this past Saturday at St Chad's Anglican Church in Unley. I attended this on behalf of the state Liberal Party. It was a great opportunity to meet many of his family and friends, and I was delighted at that funeral service to have the opportunity to meet with the former premier of South Australia, the Hon. Steele Hall, who was a very close personal friend of Mr Freebairn.

In fact, in that conversation, Mr Hall recounted with vivid clarity a trip that he took. He thought he was about 21 years of age when they got into a ute and drove all of the way to Sydney. He had some funny anecdotes which I do not think I will put on the public record, but it is fair to say they were very good friends at the age of 21 and remained lifelong friends, that is for sure.

John was twice re-elected to the seat of Light before being defeated in preselection on 30 May 1970. John was heavily involved in the Liberal Movement of the mid-1970s and ran unsuccessfully for the Legislative Council district of Midland in 1973. Following his defeat, John turned his attention to advocating for a reconciliation between the Liberal Movement and Liberal members. He understood inherently that we are better united than apart, and wrote passionately at the time that the parties needed to, and I quote, 'work together, and not against each other, for the common purpose of all non-Labor forces, which is to defeat Labor'. Hear, hear!

Following his parliamentary career, John remained dedicated and involved in the community he loved. He was a generous person, and he and his family donated land to the Alma CFS among many other projects. He was awarded a life membership to the Alma CFS and was awarded a national medal for his work in this area.

He was a director of the Red Comb Cooperative and the South Australian Egg Board and, during the eighties and nineties, was director of South Australian Bulk Handling Limited. He was active in a range of membership organisations, including the Royal Geographic Society of South Australia and, of course, the Caledonian Society.

John was a fellow with the Institute of Company Directors and a justice of the peace for many years. He was also an active supporter of the Coolibah Club which promoted the planting of trees across the state, and ensured that his own property and surrounding areas were also replanted on a regular basis.

In recent years, John could often be seen coming into Parliament House with his wife Susan, when they would often bring a guest into the parliamentary dining room. He was always very quick to say hello. He obviously loved this building, he loved this parliament, and it was very evident that he was very proud when he came into this building on an ongoing basis. I pass my deepest condolences on to Susan and to John's family. The regions of South Australia have lost a champion, and he will be missed. Vale, John Freebairn.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (14:08): John Sydney Freebairn was elected to state parliament on 3 March 1962 for the electorate of Light at the age of 30. He won the LCL, or Liberal and Country League (the precursor to the Liberal Party) preselection when the sitting member, Mr Leslie Nicholson, did not seek re-election. John was re-elected to state parliament at the March 1965 and 1968 elections.

He did not contest the 1970 state elections, when he lost preselection to Dr Bruce Eastick, who was to win the seat and was later to become, in 1972, the leader of the opposition and speaker of this place in 1979 under the Tonkin government. John lost preselection partly as a result of changes to the boundaries of the electorate, which had to change—in those days, they probably reflected more closely Frome than today's Light—but also because of the internal difference within the LCL at the time, as he had aligned himself with the Liberal Movement, which represented the progressive faction within the party.

He did not take the loss sitting down, and in 1973 gained LCL preselection for the upper house seat of Midlands, where the Liberal Movement candidate overwhelmingly outpolled the other candidates. Dr Bruce Eastick was the leader of the party at this time As mentioned, John was a personal friend of Steele Hall, the then leader of the Liberal Movement. Speaking after the preselection ballot John said, and I quote:

A clear-cut win for a Liberal Movement-aligned candidate for Midlands preselection shows there is a spirit of change amongst LCL members.

I am not sure that he was quite right on that occasion. The LCL was not to win any seats in the Midlands district and John said, and I quote again:

The poor showing of the LCL candidates at the state election was due to the conservative image displayed by the LCL councillors.

Perhaps he had the late Ren DeGaris in mind when he said that. At the declaration of the poll John said:

The conservative attitude of the state executive of the LCL and the LCL members of the Legislative Council did not reflect the thinking of the rank and file members of the party and that the present four member electoral district was completely obsolete.

He said that it should either be turned into single member districts or that proportional representation should be introduced. If my memory serves me correctly, proportional representation was introduced at the 1975 election.

Born on 31 July 1930, John was the eldest of three children of parents Thomas and Annie Freebairn. As mentioned, he passed away on 5 January this year. With his brother David, who is in the gallery today, and sister Claire he was brought up at Alma and made strong connections and enormous contributions throughout this community.

He began his schooling at the Alma South Primary School in 1937. The school was about 5½ kilometres from the family farm, and John (and his brother David three years later and sister Claire six years later) cycled the 5½ kilometres to and from the school, except when it was wet, when Dad took them to the school.

On leaving Alma South, John spent one term at Balaklava High School, travelling by train from Owen and each day boarding with a family in Owen. He then spent four years at Scotch College, where he made many lifetime friends. He rowed in the Scotch Head of the River for two years. After Scotch he returned to the family farm. He played cricket for the Alma team until it was disbanded. He was, more importantly, also a member of the Gawler Apex Club.

He did a course in welding at the School of Mines in Adelaide and began improving the farm buildings, welding the frames and erecting numerous sheds. John was the president of the Hamley Bridge hospital board for many years and president of the Alma Agricultural Bureau, as well as chairman and secretary of the Owen Branch Wheat and Woolgrowers' Association. As mentioned, he was also a director of the Red Comb Cooperative and a member of the South Australian Egg Board.

In the 1980s and 1990s he was a state director of South Australian Cooperative Bulk Handling Limited. John was awarded a life membership of the Alma Country Fire Service and a national medal for his work in this area. More recently, though, he had been a member of the board of the Laura and Alfred West Cottage Homes, which provides housing to older people of low income; and I was privileged as the minister for social housing to officially open one of their homes in the northern suburbs.

During his youth he completed training in real estate, welding, accounting and valuation. He always described himself first and foremost as a farmer. His farming activities included tree planting around the property, and he was a supporter of the Coolibah Club which promoted tree planting across the state.

He also kept bees, as well as working in the farm enterprises of grain, sheep and poultry. He was a member of the Royal Geographic Society of South Australia, the Historical Society and the Caledonian Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors. He had been a justice of the peace for many years.

John first met his wife Susan when he dropped in to visit her and her then husband, David, at their Rosedale farm in February 1972. John was looking for support as a candidate for election to the Egg Board, and also hoping to try some of their homemade wine, I understand.

At the time Susan was teaching microbiology to the oenology class at Roseworthy, and at the time her cousin Andrew Pulford of Concordia Fruit Wines fame was developing his winemaking skills, so between them they created some very interesting and at times drinkable wines.

Susan spent the years from 1964 to 1970 in the UK so missed John's period in parliament. However, John took great pleasure in driving her around what was then his electorate of Light and telling her about all the wonderful people he had known over the years. He made a point of visiting every house and business in the electorate, and as their member had endeavoured to represent their concerns and assist in resolving their problems.

John and Susan's late husband, David Vigor, became close friends with common interests in farming, education and electoral reform. Political policy discussions became an institution around the dinner table, later becoming and being formalised into Liberal Movement party policy groups.

Susan's late husband, David Vigor, was a founding member of the Australian Democrats and became a Senator for South Australia in 1984. Losing his seat at the double dissolution in 1987, he worked to establish the Association of Former Members and Senators, as the life expectancy of former members was only five years at the time. John became the founding secretary of the Association of Former Members of the South Australian Parliament at the same time, and he and David travelled together to conferences in Australia and overseas to promote such associations.

John married Susan Jane Vigor on 3 December 2005, and Susan says that she and John enjoyed an enormously pleasurable time together. They spent winters travelling with their camper around Australia or overseas, where they met up with many friends and relatives and pursued their many interests. John was particularly interested in history and art, and they shared common interests in farming, wines and developing economies. For the last two years, unfortunately, John suffered from kidney failure, and dialysis occupied a large part of his time, but they continued to spend as much time at the farm as possible. The thousands of trees he planted there remain a beautiful memorial to his work.

John was modest and kind, engaging with people near and far, whom he met through his involvement in church, politics, community, commercial and social organisations, and through his travels and contacts with farming communities across the world. I only met John in recent times, when he visited the parliament building on a number of occasions, as the Leader of the Opposition spoke. I can attest to his modest and quiet demeanour, and his good judgement—he did actually at the time remark that I was doing a good job as the member for Light.

John will be sorely missed by Susan, his stepchildren and other family members and their many wonderful friends who are in the Speaker's gallery today. With Mrs Freebairn today are David and Margaret Freebairn (John's brother and sister-in-law) and Mrs Freebairn's sons Andre, Henri, Philippe and Geoffrey. Vale John.

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (14:16): I join with the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Light in paying tribute to the late Mr John Sydney Freebairn, who served the people of South Australia in this chamber as the member for Light from 3 March 1962 until 29 May 1970.

There is a quote by Robert South: 'If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives.' John Freebairn was a man who dedicated much of his 85 years to the local community. Born to a farming family in Alma on 31 July 1930, John had a lifelong interest in agriculture and regional South Australia. Before he entered politics, John was an enthusiastic member of the Alma Agricultural Bureau, becoming their chairman in 1958, and his involvement with the Agricultural Bureau spanned decades.

John Sydney Freebairn was the youngest member of parliament in the House of Assembly when elected as the Liberal and Country League member for Light in 1962 at the age of just 30. In his maiden speech, John referred to the continuing era of progress and prosperity under the Playford government and his observation of the great change that had occurred in South Australia in progressing from a primary production state to a state with a significant industrial presence and a strong and varied economy. John was a progressive by nature, later aligning himself to the Liberal Movement and his good friend Mr Steele Hall.

After his parliamentary career, John continued to be an active member of many organisations. Notable was his commitment and dedication as a Country Fire Service volunteer, with his long service rewarded with life recognition and the national bar. Sadly, I was lucky enough to meet John only once, about five years ago, but I distinctly remember walking away wishing that I had had a longer opportunity to talk to him, because I found him a very engaging and impressive man. I also note that John was a well respected member of the Freemasons Foundation and had worked hard to raise funds for charity, with a focus on men's health. On behalf of my family and the people of Goyder, my thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr John Freebairn. Vale.

Mr KNOLL (Schubert) (14:18): I rise too to add some comments on John Sydney Freebairn MP JP, who was born on 31 July 1930 in Adelaide. As has been said, John was educated at Alma South Primary School, Balaklava High School, Scotch College (where he never forgot his Scotch roots, supporting the college through the Gratton Society), and Adelaide University. As has been mentioned, the family farm was at Alma and has been described as very much a strong working farm, with grain, sheep, poultry and bees. Indeed, in speaking with the former member for Schubert, Ivan Venning, it was pointed out that John was a great farmer, with skills and a property that rivalled the Venning family's, which is certainly high praise indeed.

Mr Freebairn served as the member for Light from 1962 to 1970 in the LCL governments of Playford and Steele Hall, and he certainly was one of our last links to that great era in South Australia's history. John served in the Steele Hall government as parliamentary undersecretary to the Premier.

John is remembered as a diligent, hardworking MP and, if he had a fault, it was that he was modest—too modest—and hated talking about himself, which is quite rare for a politician. He was, it has been described to me, a typical country MP from that time, advocating strongly for all things rural and, amongst other things, the abolition of death duties, which is a huge issue for farmers and which was a great win when it was abolished.

John is also remembered as having strong attention to detail, and he was very proud of his parliamentary service throughout his life. He was a proud member of the LCL, LM and the Liberal Party for more than 50 years, and often used to say he had joined 'last century', which surprised people, as he would say it with a straight face and it often took a while for them to realise he was being mischievous.

As has been mentioned, John had a long and distinguished career post politics, as a director on the board of the SA Egg Board, Red Comb Co-op, and the South Australian CBH, and was also active in United Farmers and Graziers. He was heavily involved in the debates over a number of years in regard to the dramatic change of policy and direction in the 1990s of grain marketing in South Australia, especially around the corporatisation of the CBH and also the removal of the single desk. After state politics, he was committed to his local area with the Hamley Bridge hospital board and as state director of the SA CBH.

It was recounted to me that John was a strong mentor to many country MPs, including Ivan, often reminding them not to forget their rural roots and to stand up for country issues. He was a longtime member and coordinator of the Coolibah Club and loved to travel the state promoting their good work. He also actively pursued those interests on his own property. He thought he was particularly good with Swamp Mallets, which I understand are small eucalypts, and often gave advice to Steele Hall about what he should plant at his place, and sometimes that advice was even taken.

He travelled widely, being especially interested in regional farming communities. Given John's Scottish heritage, he was always interested in the family's links to Scotland, and he was actively involved in the Caledonian Society. John kept his ties to this place as a member of the Association of Former Members of Parliament, and served on the executive for more than 25 years.

John passed away, as has been said, on 5 January 2016. On 15 January, a service was held at Owen, attended by hundreds, including former premier Steele Hall and his wife Joan, who would often catch up with John for lunch right up until not long before his death. During the funeral service, many accolades were given to the generosity of John for his service and support of the CFS, and the Alma CFS in particular.

I would like to add my condolences to Susan, who has links to Rosedale at my electorate, and to the whole family. Also, I am very pleased to be able to put these comments on the record on behalf of his friends and former colleagues in this place. Vale, John Freebairn.

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (14:22): I also rise to add my condolences on the passing of John Sydney Freebairn. Several weeks ago, on 15 January, a funeral service was held and several hundred people gathered at the Owen Institute to pay tribute to the life, activities and achievements of John Sydney Freebairn, a former MP in this parliament as the member for Light from 1962 to 1970.

Several former members of this chamber knew him well, and asked me to support this condolence motion to respect and acknowledge his time as the LCL member for Light, as an MP serving in two LCL governments—that of Sir Thomas Playford from 1962 to 1965, and premier Steele Hall from 1968 to 1970. During this time, he served as parliamentary undersecretary.

The funeral service in Owen was packed out with family members, local friends from the wider district, and representatives of numerous organisations that were generously supported by John over many years. A memorial service was held last Saturday at St Chad's Church in Highgate, and again, former members of this chamber attended, along with many individuals who had known John through his work and supported the church and community groups he supported.

John's extended family and friends appreciated the friendship, respect and support shown by his political colleagues who attended that service, including his former great mate, Steele Hall; former Speakers Bruce Eastick and John Oswald; President of the Association of Former Members of Parliament, Murray De Laine; Stan Evans; and, of course, our leader, Steven Marshall, on behalf of the Liberal Party. John was a proud member of the LCL (now the Liberal Party) for over 50 years.

Steele Hall tells the story, and credits John as being the first MP to design and distribute what we now call electorate news or electorate updates. His first edition was an 'electorate update'. In those days of the 1960s, the paper size was not A4, the computer did not do the artwork and the layout, but similarities to the versions now available included inside, on pages 2 and 3, many impressive activities that the local member achieved and those of the LCL governments. John prepared that material, but then he offered pages 1 and 4 in his own newsletter to be used as an update for other members of parliament to put local electorate activities, news, meeting times and places and, of course, good photographs of the local members doing their business. I am told his generous offer was taken up by a few diligent local members.

Post parliamentary life, John was still involved in his party in addition to a wide range of related activities. Although he modestly called himself a farmer, and of course that is true, his farming and agricultural interests extended much more widely than the working farm at Alma. It is worth placing on the record a small and significant selection of them. He was president of the Alma Agricultural Bureau and chairman of the Owen branch of the Wheat and Wool Growers Association for a number of years. He was president of the Hamley Bridge hospital board, director of the Red Comb Co-op, director of SA Cooperative Bulk Handling, a member of the SA Egg Board, and a board member of the Laura and Alfred West Cottage Homes.

He was a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors, a life member of the Alma CFS and a justice of the peace. As mentioned many times, he was very proud of his Scottish heritage. As already mentioned as well, he was active in the establishment of the Association of Former Members of Parliament in the late 1980s. He assisted in writing the constitution, and from the beginning took on the roles of treasurer and secretary for various years between 1988 and 2001.

He took leave of absence from that role to ensure his tireless energy and desire to travel the world was met. He wrote numerous and dedicated postcards from all around the world to keep his friends up to date, but would always return to undertake more duties of the former MPs association, serving on the executive as treasurer when no-one else volunteered.

The last few years of his life were a challenge, but he was well supported by his wife, Susan, David and Claire, extended family and friends, and still enjoyed being kept up to date with party activities and general current, local, national and international affairs. For a man who called himself a farmer, it was an amazing life of achievement and service to others and, as has been said so many times on other occasions in this house, he will be sadly missed.

The SPEAKER (14:27): I was pleased to be introduced to John Freebairn through a mutual friend, Lyndal Bowen. We met in Parliament House; in fact, we met in Parliament House often, because John would treat Parliament House, I suppose, as his office while he was in town, so he was often in parliament. I thought of John last year when I decided as Speaker to shape a proposal to adapt the Torrens Room as a room for retired members with some office facilities.

As has been mentioned, John was a friend of Steele Hall. He supported Steele Hall in the struggles within the Liberal and Country League in the late 1960s, and indeed into the early 1970s. The important thing that John supported was getting rid of the Playford malapportionment. As has been mentioned, when John was the member for Light it had 6,000 voters. The electorate that I now have the honour to represent was represented by Cyril Hutchins and had 30,000 voters. John, like Steele Hall, thought that it was untenable that this could continue. In a sense, that sacrificed his political career, because it made the state district of Light much larger than the one he was representing and led to a preselection challenge from Bruce Eastick.

After John was defeated, he stood for the Legislative Council, which then had districts, and the district for which he stood was Midland in Gawler and the Mid North, and he was defeated, I think by Labor's Cec Creedon, in something of an upset. But, as has been mentioned, John worked to reunite the Liberal Movement and the Liberal and Country League and form the modern Liberal Party. I found him, as has been mentioned by others, a modest, gentle and reasonable person, and I enjoyed his company when I met him. I ask members to carry the motion in the usual way.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.

Sitting suspended from 14:29 to 14:39.

The SPEAKER: I call to order the Treasurer and the leader for their exchange during the condolence motion.

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