John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The electorate of Bennelong hosted a range of dignitaries on Saturday night: many diplomats, colleagues and Australian legends gathered to celebrate my 60th birthday, which is the oldest I have been!

I wish to take this opportunity to thank many who were there, such as: Mr Alan Jones, who acted as the master of ceremonies; His Excellency Mr CK Ow, who was our gracious host and who is the executive chairman of Stamford Land Corporation and the Singaporean Ambassador to Argentina; His Excellency Mr Paul Madden, British High Commissioner to Australia; His Excellency Mr Yuval Rotem, Israeli Ambassador to Australia; His Excellency Mr Rubem Barbosa, Brazilian Ambassador to Australia; Her Excellency Mrs Maija Lahteenmaki, Finnish Ambassador to New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga; Senator the Hon. Eric Abetz; the Hon. Mr Joe Hockey; the Hon. Mr Malcolm Turnbull; the Hon. Bronwyn Bishop, who in the highlight of the evening auctioned tickets to The Merry Widow; my colleagues Paul Fletcher and Craig Kelly; the Hon. Barry O'Farrell, the Premier of New South Wales; the Hon. Greg Smith; the Hon. Anthony Roberts; the Hon. Victor Dominello; the Hon. Marie Ficarra; the legendary Ken Rosewall, who assured everybody that he is enjoying good health; and Ita Buttrose. It having been disclosed by Alan that Ita Buttrose had authored books entitled What is Love?, A Passionate Life, and How Much is Enough?, another highlight of the night was her auctioning off a night of passion at one of the hotels—although, when she made it very clear that she was not included in this package, it did not go for quite as much money. Others who were there were: Mark Edmondson, a former team mate and the last Australian man to win an Australian Open; Ben Elias, a great footballer who passed on the tip that New South Wales was certain to win this year's State of Origin; and Don Spencer, a good friend and the chairman of the Australian Children's Music Foundation, who sang a lovely little song about Ken Rosewall. Thank you to all of my friends and supporters. It was a great evening—not just celebrating my 60th but the camaraderie and the strength of the bonds within our party. My new colleagues being present made it a very special night.