Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to pay tribute to four members of the Australian Labor Party in my electorate of Rankin who were given awards at the Queensland state conference on the weekend just past. Jim Sykes, Chris Murphy and Brian Godley all received life membership of the Australian Labor Party and Garnett Kelley received a meritorious certificate.

Jim Sykes is a school teacher and, as a result of his 30-year membership of the Australian Labor Party, he was awarded life membership. Jim certainly deserves it. He has always helped out not only on polling booths but in organising the Australian Labor Party within the seat of Rankin so that we are able to retain the seat of Rankin and contribute to the overall task of forming a government. It is a great honour for me to report that the seat of Rankin is the only seat in Queensland that has always been held by the Australian Labor Party. Jim’s wife, Vicki, has always lent her support to Jim. Good on you, Jim, for all your work with the teachers federation and the ALP in our area.

Chris Murphy has toiled long and hard and effectively with his wife, Marilyn, who is only three years short of being able to attain life membership. They and their two children, Declan and Cairen, are members of the Australian Labor Party and contribute very strongly to our local community. Chris ran a very good campaign for a by-election in division 5, which was vacated by Councillor Able who became the Mayor of Logan City. Chris has been a staunch and hardworking member of the Labor Party for so many years.

Brian Godley also has been a great contributor. Brian was a policeman and his wife, Johanna, has given enormous support. Garnett Kelley, who used to work in the steelworks in the Illawarra and came up to Queensland, would have received life membership but they could not track his records back to the early postwar years. Garnett Kelley is not in the best of health. He lives with his daughter, Leanne, and he has also done magnificent work. He is a great friend of Ted Warren and all of us, and we wish Garney all the best, along with Jim Sykes, Chris Murphy and Brian Godley.