Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to reflect on the life of a giant of the great state of Victoria and of Melbourne, Ron Walker. The truth is that I didn't know Ron Walker that well. He was one of those people that I knew from a distance, as a child growing up in the 1990s watching the state of Victoria enter into new energy and dynamism after the period before. Ron Walker was one of those people that, as a young child, I watched on television, watched in newspapers and read about as a giant of the state who was doing amazing things in helping to revitalise our great city. Of course, there was nothing that embodied the revitalisation for many people, particularly somebody as young as myself, so much as the symbolism of the Grand Prix, which made itself to Melbourne courtesy of Ron Walker efforts and the efforts of many others. In fact, that became the symbol not just for the revitalisation of a city but for the people and the energy that came with it, and you can never take that legacy away from him. He was the champion of that cause and was tasked with getting the Australian F1 Grand Prix away from Adelaide in the mid-1990s. He served as chairman of the Australian Grand Prix for nearly 20 years and leaves behind an incredible legacy, where it continues to operate today. But the legacy isn't just of the event; it is of the spirit.

It was only later in my life that I started to learn a bit more about Ron Walker and his contribution to the rebuilding of Victoria. He was part of, shall we say, a group of people at the time who seized the opportunity to turn a rust-bucket state into a shining jewel that continues to guide this great nation, and that is part of his legacy. That's why Jeff Kennett said recently that, without Ron Walker, Melbourne—and Victoria—would not be what it is today, and I wholeheartedly share those sentiments.

But it was only later in life that I really came to terms with the full legacy of Ron Walker and what he has done for our great state. He was elected the Lord Mayor of Melbourne City Council from 1974 to 76, having served on the council since 1969. During that time, he was named as Victoria's Outstanding Man of the Year during his lord mayoral term, as well as Victorian Father of the Year in 1976, Victorian of the Year in 1994 and many other incredible honours.

He, of course, also had a highly successful career in sports administration, which began off the back of a successful business career. He even led Melbourne's bid to host the Olympic Games in 1996. But, when it comes down to it, he was a family man, and that becomes clear as you listen to and hear the eulogies and read many of the things that have been said since his passing. And it's that spirit that I want to acknowledge, and I pay my condolences to his wife, Barbara, and his children for their sad loss. But having grown up with Ron Walker as a pre-eminent figure in Victoria and Melbourne throughout my childhood, as I got towards the latter stages of my life—or the present stages of my life today—

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