Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

I rise to give a special shout-out to Oscar 1 CFA. The Oscar 1 CFA is quite a unique CFA volunteer unit in Bendigo. Its focus is on mine rescue. Like many old mining regions, Bendigo is littered with empty mine shafts. When people start to renovate, one may open up out in the Whipstick Forest or many of our other forests. They are everywhere and quite often weren't filled in properly, so there is a need for a unit like Oscar 1. They are made up of volunteers, many of whom work in the mining industry currently or are volunteers of other CFA brigades. They come together on Wednesdays to make sure that they are best at their speciality, mine rescue. As I said, they are unique and quite often can fall through the cracks of the very large organisation that is known as the CFA, but in my meeting with them I was impressed by their dedication to what they do. They get together. They train. They work in a really collaborative way—so collaborative that they actually took out first place in the Victorian Mine Rescue Competition hosted earlier this year by the MCA Vic branch at La Trobe University—volunteers beating companies across Victoria and New South Wales with their specialist approach and skills. Congratulations, Oscar 1, and thank you for what you do: making sure that all of us are safe when it comes to our local community and local environment and in the unfortunate situation that would arise if any of us or our pets were to fall down a disused mine shaft.

I'd also like to pay tribute and honour to the late Don Drummond. Don and I first met many, many years ago, before I was the federal member for Bendigo, back when Woodend was in the Bendigo electorate. Don passed away recently. Even though Woodend hasn't been in Bendigo for a long time, he had kept in touch. Don would always remind me of the time when he stood for Ballarat, back in the dark days of Labor. He was one of those warriors, those true believers, who would put on the shirt and fly the flag even when we knew it was impossible. Don and his late wife, Sheila, were known throughout Bendigo for their passion for the arts, particularly literature. They had well-established careers in publishing. Don will be missed. Before it was a thing in Labor, he always started branch meetings with a welcome to country and a value statement—the commitment to the burning light, as he said. Someone of great intellect and always a great ear, he was someone who was a true believer. Vale, Don. You will be missed.

See this speech in context