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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-11-16 Daily Xml
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Condolence

Ebert, Mr R.F.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:04): I rise to inform the house that I have just come from the state funeral to honour the life of Russell Ebert OAM. This was a state funeral. It was attended by Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia; Mr Rod Bunton; former governors of South Australia; former premiers of South Australia; the Chief Justice; members of cabinet; the Leader of the Opposition; members of the opposition; and past players, administrators, volunteers and, of course, fans of the late Russell Ebert.

He was offered a state funeral because of his extraordinary contribution to football but, most importantly, because of his extraordinary contribution and dedication to the people of South Australia post his wonderful playing career. He truly was a champion on the football field and a champion in so many other endeavours in life.

Russell Ebert was born in Berri on 22 June 1949. He was the fourth of six children of Doreen and Albert Ebert, and we heard a little bit about Doreen Ebert: she sounds like a formidable woman. Russell began his career in the Riverland after his family moved to Loxton in his high school years. After playing for the Waikerie Football Club, he then began his career with the Port Adelaide Football Club. He played 392 games for Port Adelaide between 1968 and 1978 and also again between 1980 and 1985, kicking 294 goals. He also played 25 games for the North Melbourne Football Club in 1979.

He was, of course, a three-time premiership player with Port Adelaide—1977, 1980 and 1981—and was the six-time best and fairest player for the Port Adelaide Football Club in 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1981. He played 29 games for South Australia and was a three-time South Australian captain. Of course, he will always be remembered for the four Magarey Medals he won.

Despite this extraordinary career on the football field, Russell made an equally extraordinary career off the football field. It was a great honour for us in South Australia to note that he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal. Last year, he was also announced as the Australia Day Council of South Australia's legend for our state. This was really honouring his extraordinary contribution to so many worthy causes.

Today, at his state funeral—which was held in front of a very, very large crowd of approximately 4,000 people at his beloved Alberton Oval—we heard many speakers talk about his generosity, his commitment and his concern for his fellow man. His three children were present, as were his grandchildren. His daughter, Tammie, and his sons, Ben and Brett, all gave a moving tribute and eulogy which encompassed so many of his achievements as a father, something we often forget in these roles. Of course, others spoke about his enormous contribution to our state more broadly.

It was a fitting tribute to somebody who has given so much, and it was an honour for us to host it as a state funeral. When I spoke to his widow, Dianne, in the organisation of this state funeral—in fact, when we offered the state funeral—she said that she was very honoured to accept the offer of the government for a state funeral, but she made it very clear that she wanted it to be a celebration of his life, not a sad occasion but a celebration of his life.

I was delighted after the service to meet with her and members of her family, along with Her Excellency, and Dianne was delighted. It really was a celebration of a life well lived, a great South Australian. Vale, Russell Ebert OAM.

The SPEAKER: The leader on indulgence.

Mr MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Leader of the Opposition) (14:09): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to start by thanking the Premier not just for his contribution most recent but also for offering the Ebert family a state funeral. I think it was a good exercise of the Premier's judgement to make that offer, and I think the team at Protocol and everyone involved in putting together the service today did an outstanding job. It was really quite a befitting service.

More than that, I also want to acknowledge the Ebert family for making that decision. I can only imagine that when you are dealing with the loss of such a close loved one it is difficult at the best of times—arranging funerals is never a fun experience—but it adds a degree of complexity when you decide to open it up to the whole of the public, and they elected to do that when no-one would have begrudged them a decision to do otherwise.

They did it because they thought it was consistent with what Russell would have wanted. I want to thank the Ebert family for doing that because it was a spectacular service down at Alberton today. As the Premier rightly mentioned, there was a big crowd in attendance. I did not fully appreciate how large that crowd was until afterwards, when we turned around and saw it.

It was impossible not to get an overwhelming sense from the service itself that this was not just a giant of Australian Rules football—our beloved game—but a giant of humanity generally. The Premier rightly articulated Russell Ebert's substantial sporting prowess and the large number of achievements and accolades that he rightly had attributed to him because of his exploits on the field, but the service today I think really encapsulated the man and his absolute determination to ensure that he was giving back to people, not just to the football community but to people generally.

We heard of his upbringing in the Riverland and his move to Adelaide, where he established an extraordinarily beautiful family, and then, of course, the way he consistently was giving back—always more interested in others than himself. I thought that there was a telling story today when it was reflected upon that, once being diagnosed with the illness, so many people would call Russell to find out how he was going only for Russell to spend the majority of that conversation wanting to know how that individual was going and hearing about their concerns in life, which I think speaks to an incredible generosity.

I cannot remember the exact turn of phrase that was used by one of the speakers to capture the valour displayed by Russell Ebert, but if I was to make a crude attempt at repeating what was offered it was that valour at its best is exemplified by doing something that you would love the rest of the world to see you do but doing it when no-one else is paying attention, and that was very much Russell Ebert.

On a number of occasions I had the great privilege of meeting someone who was certainly a legend in the eyes of the Malinauskas household—certainly my father's. Of course, I was nervous when I first met Russell Ebert—it was only a few years ago, and I was with the deputy leader—and he had an extraordinary presence about him. There was an extraordinary humility but, at the same time, a strength of character that was self-evident, and that came through on every occasion I had the opportunity to meet Russell since.

To the Ebert family, the broader Port Adelaide Football Club family and everybody else associated with Russell's life we thank you for the privilege of being there today, and we certainly very much hope that this true legend of South Australia has the opportunity to now rest in peace.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, Premier and leader for your poignant remarks on this solemn occasion.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:13): I will just add to those remarks, because it was a true honour to be there today, and I thank the Premier and all those involved for the opportunity to be there.

As sports minister, I am very privileged to meet many people in the sporting sphere right across South Australia, and I think that all in this place would agree that Russell Ebert is at the pinnacle of that. I was lucky enough to know him in my former life and to get to know him in this role as well. As a youngster, I grew up barracking for Port Adelaide. I ended up traversing to another club, but I was a great supporter of the man and loved to marvel at what he did on the football field.

As a youngster, I looked up to him as a childhood hero and would see the way he would go about his football and I aspired to anything like what he achieved on the football field. We know about his four Magarey Medals and his premierships and, as a youngster, to see what he achieved as a player is truly remarkable. As I said, he was a childhood hero, but it was later in life when he did work off the field, which both the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition have talked about, when I realised he was an adulthood hero as well.

He was someone who so selflessly gave back to the community, so selflessly went about looking after people who were less advantaged than he was. He would make a beeline for them. He would make a beeline to find out what it was that they needed and what it was they wanted and how he could help deliver that. For a man who achieved so much on the football field, with all the accolades that went before him, to then, post football life, stay involved with the Port Adelaide Football Club and work in his community and to give back is truly remarkable.

I think everyone in this house knows the legend that is Russell Ebert—and that word is thrown around a lot, especially in sporting circles, but there is no doubt that Russell Ebert is a true legend of the South Australian sporting landscape and he will be very sadly missed. Vale, Russell Ebert.

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:15): I appreciate the opportunity to say a few words about Russell Ebert. It might be a bit of a stretch to say that he was my friend, but I felt that there was a genuine affection and warmth of regard between the two of us, although I suspect a lot of people felt that about Russell. I want to tell two stories. One is that it took a little while for me to get to know Russell. He was not the kind of person who felt that you mattered because of the job you had, so simply becoming the member for Port Adelaide was not sufficient for him to do more than acknowledge me warmly and politely.

It was not until, as education minister, I started to do work on the kinds of programs that he was interested in—disadvantaged youth, in particular—that we recognised in each other a genuine desire to see people who have had a tough life prosper. It was then that I felt the true regard of Russell Ebert, when he felt that he shared your values. I think in our job we often get people who are very nice to us because of the position we have. It is really important to recognise the people who care about what you care about.

The second story is one that I kept thinking about this morning because so many of the stories that were told in that beautiful service echoed my experience. Russell was always very interested in young people. As education minister, I went to a SAASTA art show that was being set up on the fringe of the Power Cup down at Alberton Oval. I was there to look at the art, and I took my son, who I think would have been about 12 or 13 at the time. Russell came over to meet us and he was very interested in young Finian. He shares a birthday with Fin, which is something that Fin recalled when Russell died recently.

He wanted to know about him, what his aspirations were, what mattered to him and what he wanted to see happen in the world. I took that as an enormous compliment from a legend like Russell Ebert. We then went off and looked at the artwork and then, as we were coming back, noticed that Russell was picking up rubbish in the stand. I said to Fin, 'If Russell Ebert can pick up rubbish, we're going to be picking up rubbish too,' so we spent the next half an hour or so helping Russell clean up.

That was the humbleness of that legend. He could have walked around being treated like a god at that place, but his view was that he was no better than anyone else, and if there was a piece of rubbish he would pick it up. I will miss him. Whenever we all are able to be involved in programs that support young people, that help them see a better life, a better future, I hope we recall the example set by Russell Ebert. Vale.

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