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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-11-18 Daily Xml
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MANUEL, DR B.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:49): It is with great privilege and pleasure that I put on the official parliamentary Hansard record my appreciation—and indeed that of thousands of people in the south—of the enormous effort by the Reverend Dr Barry Manuel, who continuously for 28 years was the head pastor of the Morphett Vale Baptist Church. As colleagues would know, there are a lot of demands and requirements in the south, not least of which are those regarding the support of significant family, community and social issues. Pastor Barry led the charge on non-government organisations, such as the church welfare sector, in developing outreach opportunities for the southern suburbs of Adelaide. In my early years in the parliament he said to me, 'Robert, it is about time governments started to put grant funds together to assist the church and other non-government organisations in welfare outreach.' With other of my colleagues at the time it was considered in the deliberations that then created grants that still continue with successive governments, starting with the then Liberal government, and have allowed for a lot more grassroots contact and support in the community in South Australia.

Pastor Barry was incredibly well supported during this time by Janet—clearly, the Morphett Vale Baptist Church in the southern community got two for one—and their four children Brett, Becky, Martyn and Kristy, who have all been involved in the area from January 1982. Martyn has set up a very successful business building pipes from Lonsdale for the desalination plants in Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne, and as well as doing this has taken responsibility to become the head pastor, replacing his father. With the great grounding, family support and upbringing he has had, he will continue to grow opportunities for the southern community.

There were many highlights Pastor Barry brought to the area. He was strongly committed to the church and to Southern Vales Christian School. He worked with a campus establishment at Morphett Vale and another at Aldinga, later headed up by principal Stewart Leggett, a former colleague of many of us. He was also heavily involved in Elkana with aged care and youth development. Andrew Tainsh, the Family First candidate for Mawson, is a very well known and highly respected youth worker and pastor in the south and is an excellent candidate for us in the seat of Mawson and was ably developed by Pastor Barry.

One of the highlights was Cornerstone in the old commonwealth bank building, which I had the privilege of formally opening on behalf of Pastor Barry and the Morphett Vale Baptist Church—a magnificent facility on South Road, which day in and day out is delivering all sorts of care, support, clothing, food parcels and hampers, counselling and comprehensive services to the southern community. Pastor Barry was also involved in the decision to sell the old Morphett Vale Baptist Church on South Road and built a fantastic new church on States Road on the school campus. On 8 November when we celebrated his 28 years of splendid and superb work we were able to see another opening of that church extension.

It is an awesome task to look after community well-being. It is a huge responsibility, and to consider that someone was able to do that for 28 years is an absolutely superb effort. The energy levels, the dedication, the inspiration, the hard work and the heartache one would deal with as head pastor is enormous, but Pastor Barry Manuel can certainly hold his head high, as can Janet and the whole family.

Having dealt with a lot of the southern community for so long, I know that the community is much richer as a result of Pastor Barry's works. While he has made a decision to retire, I know he will continue living in the southern region of the state and continue to have his passion and dedication for South Australia, but will now be able to do some of the other outreach work on which many countries around the world will be pleased to engage with him. I wish him and his family health and success in future. Of all the people I have known he is one of the most outstanding in the south when it comes to commitment to the southern community.

Time expired.

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