Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I rise to offer my condolences to the family of Agnes Mary 'Bub' McDonnell, who passed away at the age of 94 on Sunday 24 January. Matriarchs and the importance of matriarchies are sometimes underestimated. Bub was a matriarch in the truest sense of the word, not just to her family but also to her broader family, the community of Mount Gambier. She was mayoress for 19 years, between 1983 and 2002, the point at which we experienced the untimely death of her husband, Don. She made an impact across the community, but, beyond that, she was a loving and devoted mother and mother-in-law to Frank and Kay, Judy and Robert, Fay and Johnny, Michael and Susan, Brian and Tracey, John and Virginia, Helen and Robert. She had an amazing 23 grandchildren and a herculean 43 great-grandchildren. I have had the benefit of reading the eulogies read and prepared by her grandsons, Nick O'Connor and Joseph Contin. They speak of the deep warmth that 'Bub' had for her family and for her community. 'Bub' is someone we should all strive to be—a pillar of the community, and a person who lived her strong family values and was devoted to the community that she made better for her presence in it.

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