Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to a great man, Lindsay King, who, sadly, passed away last week. His passing has been mourned by the Cranbourne community. Lindsay was categorised as the doyen of tourism in the City of Casey for the past 10 years. He wore many hats. He was a town crier for the City of Casey since 1994. It was a role that he took on with great pride and great gusto. Many people remember seeing Lindsay around the township dressed as town crier. He was involved with the organisation of Australia Day celebrations, the MRA Cranbourne GP run and the Tooradin fisherman’s cottage project. He was a very keen amateur historian and he also developed a passion for Cranbourne’s history, and particularly its early pioneers.

He was a member of the Cranbourne Historical Society and a former president of the Cranbourne and District Residents Association. Lindsay continually worked to improve his community and lift Cranbourne’s profile as a tourism destination. This was a fellow who made a community like Cranbourne tick over. He was a tremendously proud and passionate Australian—proud about Cranbourne and proud about our history. I recall Lindsay coming into my office, when it was based in Dandenong, talking with great excitement, zest and enthusiasm about the meteorite display project. There is a meteorites display in Cranbourne and he was seeking to relocate it to a place that he thought was more fitting.

He wanted to promote Cranbourne, to teach our young about Cranbourne’s history and its importance. His involvement in the community was such that he was seen as ‘Mr Cranbourne’. In fact, Dale Maggs, who helped to organise the Cranbourne GP run, has called for a statue to be erected of Lindsay in the Cranbourne township. But there is something that is there that will mark Lindsay’s passing, and that is a floral clock. It came about as a consequence of a discussion between Councillor Kevin Bradford and Lindsay and has been proceeded with. I know that Councillor Bradford is going to be recommending that a plaque to Lindsay and his late wife, Jean, be erected there to mark his contribution to the community.

As I said, I knew Lindsay for about five years. What struck me was his great passion and love for Cranbourne, its history and the community. When we lose people like Lindsay, they cannot be replaced. In thinking about and reflecting on him and his contribution, Cranbourne has lost a great identity, and he will be very sorely missed.