Gavan O'Connor (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure today in this parliament to acknowledge the contribution of one of Geelong’s unsung heroes to the welfare of his fellow man. At the recent annual dinner hosted by the Geelong and District Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, Frankie Cunningham was awarded the Tommy Simpson award for services to Geelong’s Vietnam veterans community and other veterans.  The award honours the memory of the first soldier to die in Vietnam from Geelong and is not an award that is given lightly or given every year.

Frankie Cunningham is an unassuming man but a real character and a genuine Australian who does good work for the benefit of others. It is very important that his contribution is acknowledged on the floor of this parliament. He runs the Vietnam veterans barbecue down Pakington Street in Geelong every month, which raises some $500 to $600 for the Vietnam Veterans Welfare Fund, which is used in a variety of ways to support the personal needs of Vietnam veterans and their families. He drives the bus for war widows and veterans. He was one of the first to volunteer to do maintenance around veterans’ and widows’ homes when required. Whenever veterans have a need, Frankie Cunningham is there.

I have been attending the annual dinners of the Geelong and District Vietnam Veterans Association since I became the member for Corio in 1993. I hope to continue to attend them for many years to come. Over that time I have seen the organisation grow in numbers and extend its range of services to more and more veterans and their families. It has been able to do this because of the selfless volunteers who have put their services and time at the disposal of other veterans in need and their families.

This is a well-deserved award. It was met at the dinner with acclamation from everybody in the room. A genuinely humble man, a real Australian, a genuine Australian, has been acknowledged by his peers, and I think it is fitting that his contribution be acknowledged on the floor of this House. My best wishes and congratulations to the Geelong and District Vietnam Veterans Association for the work that they do for the veterans in the Geelong community.