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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-12-01 Daily Xml
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Barnet, Mr J.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (16:46): Today, I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution that the late John Barnet and his family have made to the Gawler and surrounding districts community. John Barnet was born on 23 October 1945, at the Hutchinson Hospital in Gawler East and died after a short illness on the morning of 11 November 2020.

I learnt about John's passing at the end of the Remembrance Day service held in Gawler. The news came as a shock. While I knew John had been unwell, I was unaware of the gravity of his illness. A man I had known since my mid 20s was no more—no more political banter, no more talks about the future of Gawler, no more chitchat about the prosperity of the small businesses that line Murray Street.

While John no longer lived in Gawler, his heart never left the town. He still considered himself a local and was still seen as a local, and with some justification. John went to school at Gawler Primary School, followed by a short period at Gawler High School, then to Prince Alfred College, Adelaide. He did a short stint at Adelaide University before deciding to take an apprenticeship at The News in Adelaide, where he started with his lifelong friend Julian Swinstead, who also played for Central Districts.

John followed his dad Ken's footsteps into the editorship of The Bunyip in 1973 after working for a while in Sydney and doing his national service. This is also where he met his wife, Rosemary. After The Bunyip had been in the family for 140 years, the Barnets sold it to the Taylor family in 2003. The Barnet family and The Bunyip were and in some ways continue to be synonymous with Gawler. The Bunyip has been and continues to be an important journal of record for the people of Gawler and surrounding districts. So intertwined was the Barnet family with Gawler through The Bunyip newspaper that their progress was interdependent. The Bunyip committed itself to the wellbeing and prosperity of the town, and the townspeople in turn supported The Bunyip.

John and Rosemary married on 24 November 1973. The couple had three daughters, Belinda, Meg and Jodie, and now have eight grandchildren, with twins due soon—and just one boy amongst them all. John knew everyone in Gawler, which was his strength and gave him the most satisfaction. He could mingle equally with members of parliament, industry leaders and ordinary members of the community. To uphold the traditions of The Bunyip through his editorship was a great achievement in often trying times.

John and I met during the early eighties when I was first elected to public office. It would be fair to say that it was not an instant friendship, but as we gained a better understanding of each other it became apparent that we shared a common interest, which was our love for the Gawler community. This transcended our political differences, so much so that John, a strong Liberal supporter, worked on my campaign for election to parliament in 2006 and that support continued to his death. While his actions at the time upset the local Liberal hierarchy, it did not surprise his friends. John was loyal to the core.

He was a great friend to me personally, and, more importantly, to the people of Gawler. Through his wide range of networks, John became a familiar face at regular lunch gatherings, which he continued after his retirement, and he and Rosemary volunteered at the Adelaide Zoo for well over a decade.

John's funeral will be held this Thursday at the Taylor and Forgie Adelaide Road Chapel, Gawler South. Like The Bunyip, Taylor and Forgie are another much-loved institution in Gawler. My sincere condolences go to his wife, Rosemary; children, Belinda, Meg and Jodie; and John's surviving brothers, Anthony and Paul. A life well lived is a gift to the person and their community. Vale, John Barnet.

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