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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-14 Daily Xml
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Johnson, Mr B.R.

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (15:27): I rise to pay tribute to the late Brian Johnson who passed away on 14 September at his home in Naracoorte, aged 81. I acknowledge and thank Brian's son Graham who has gathered together most of the words that I say today. Brian has been described as a true giant of Naracoorte and the surrounding districts. He was imposing in stature and a leader in the agricultural industry. He was also a staunch member and supporter of the Liberal Party for well over 40 years.

Brian Ronald Johnson was born on 20 January 1937. He was the first of four children to Lawrence Stanley Johnson and Dorothy Olive (nee Stevens). He grew up on the family farm, Springbank, north of Naracoorte, a prominent lamb producing property whose success continues to this day. In 1950, Brian attended King's College in Adelaide, which is now known as Pembroke. He developed a keen interest in football and baseball.

Brian left school at the age of 15 to start work on the farm, clearing large parcels of land, ready for ploughing. Over time, his father purchased more land at Lucindale, Conmurra, Biscuit Flat and Willalooka to further extend the family's holdings. It was a strategy that continued throughout Brian's life. He was always on the lookout for more land. Brian married his local sweetheart, Barbara Bourne, in 1961 and the couple began their lives at Springbank. They had three sons: Ian, Peter and Graham.

Brian loved his sport, especially football. He played for his local team, Kybybolite, from 1952. In 1959, he was drafted by Norwood. He would work on the farm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, travel to Adelaide on Thursday, train on Thursday night, help with school coaching clinics on Friday, play on Saturday, then return home on Sunday to start the week again. In 1960, he received £5 per game, which included travel money. Brian kicked the first goal of the 1960 grand final between Norwood and North Adelaide. Unfortunately, they lost by five points in front of a crowd of 54,000 at the Adelaide Oval.

His teammates read like the who's who of South Australian football, including Ron Kneebone, Peter Aish, Alan Killigrew, Haydn Bunton junior, Wally Miller and Bob Fosdike. His opponents that day were the likes of Barrie Robran and Bob Hammond. He returned to Kyby and played in the 1961 premiership team, coached for several years and played in the undefeated premiership side of 1966. In 1968, he took on the job of coaching Naracoorte and finished his football there in the early 1970s. Later, he became patron of the Naracoorte Football Club, a position he held for 30 years. He was passionate about football and loved watching the young ones coming through. His proudest day was when his son, Peter, got his first league game for Norwood in 1985.

Tennis was also a big part of the family life growing up. Countless weekends were spent at working bees turning the Naracoorte parklands scrub into the magnificent football/netball/tennis complex of today. Brian found lawn bowls later in life, which he loved. He met lots of new people, but he also played with the men he had played football and tennis with and against. He thoroughly enjoyed the mateship he found at the bowling clubs throughout the South-East.

Politics was a passion of Brian's, and he was a member of the Liberal Party and state Electoral Commission dating back to the Fraser years. His hero was former prime minister John Winston Howard. He has been described as the rock that the Naracoorte branch was built on, and he served as president of the Naracoorte branch numerous times. Brian received a meritorious service award in 1998, an acknowledgment of his commitment and contribution to the party.

Brian was an influencer of the Liberal Party, not just at a branch level but at a state and federal level as well. He was a team player but was not afraid to voice his opinion on an issue. He brought rural issues to the attention of those whose lives were cemented in the city and was modestly responsible for preselection recruitments and policy improvements. He was extremely well connected and had the mobile phone numbers of many of our state and federal politicians, including Nick Minchin and Grant Chapman.

When it came to fundraising for the party, he was not afraid to make a call, and such was his personality he always got results. As one of his old mates, Andrew Downward, has said, 'You just never said no to Spaz.' Brian loved the friends he made at meetings. Such was his dedication to the party, he attended 23 annual general meetings over 25 years. The only reason he missed a meeting was when he was sick or travelling. He was renowned for his communication skills, and his engaging personality helped him enlist and encourage young members to the party.

Brian had eight grandchildren. His family say that he loved them all completely and equally. He always had time for them. He was interested in all that was happening in their lives and was very proud of every achievement. Brian Johnson was a true Naracoorte icon. He was well known and well liked. He worked hard to grow his business and was not afraid to take risks. He was social. It made no difference to him whether you were a farmer, shearer, rousie, truck driver, sparky, stock agent, bank manager or the boss of BHP, he treated everyone with the same respect.

Brian Johnson will be long remembered as a leader in the South-East. He was generous with his time and his knowledge. On behalf of the Naracoorte branch of the Liberal Party and all other branches across the South-East, we honour him for his unwavering commitment and involvement in the Liberal Party of South Australia. Thank you, Brian. Vale, Brian Johnson.

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