Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great honour to rise in the House this evening to recognise Ken de Heer, a constituent in my electorate who passed away, sadly, at the age of 72 on 29 February this year after a four-year battle with bladder cancer. It gives me particular honour to be able to do so in the presence of his brother, Derril, and his sister, Patricia, in this House this evening. They are here representing his family, his friends and his community, in the case of Patricia, who comes from Baxter in the Mornington Peninsula. It is a real pleasure to have you here.

The reason that I want to particularly acknowledge Ken is that he was one of the leading lights in the development of the Mornington Peninsula community over the last 20 years. He was also one of the leading lights in the surf-lifesaving movement on the Mornington Peninsula over the last 20 years. In particular, he was the driving force, the founder and the motivating energy behind the foundation of the Sorrento Life Saving Club. In so doing, he was fundamental to saving many lives over many years. Right throughout the peninsula and indeed throughout Victoria there are families that would not be whole, that would not be as they are, but for the energy, the drive, the passion and the commitment of Ken and of all of those whom he inspired to work with him on a voluntary basis at the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club.

Let me go back to the beginning. Ken was born on the Falkland Islands in 1940, during the Second World War. His brother, Derril, was born in 1943 and his sister, Patricia, in 1944. Their father, Walter, was an Australian who had been working in oil on the islands. Their mother, Vivienne, was from the islands. They went first to Edinburgh and then after the war to Australia, in 1946. The family established themselves in the Hunter Valley. Dad worked in the Kurri Kurri coalmines and lived through the 1949 to 1951 strikes as the mines were modernised. It was a difficult period.

During his youth, Ken travelled in Europe for a period. He finished his schooling in year 8, but that was never a hindrance. This was somebody who had enormous energy. After he settled in Victoria, his found his first love, the Port Lonsdale Life Saving Club. He started with that club in 1960. He transferred to the Apollo Bay Surf Life Saving Club in 1967 and spent an incredible 23 years performing patrols. He served as president and became a life member in 1979. He subsequently moved to Sorrento. He trained the Portsea Surf Life Saving Club junior boat crews for two years before forming the Sorrento club. Ken founded Coppins restaurant in 1996 at Sorrento surf beach. He witnessed tragedy and he resolved to do something about it. As a consequence of that, in 1998 he established the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club.

As part of that process, over the years he helped lead the push to raise half a million dollars—which in those days was a very large sum of money—to establish the clubhouses. I know those clubhouses; the community knows those clubhouses. Many lives have been saved, much fun has been had and many things have been learnt because of the creation of the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club. As president of the club, Ken ensured that within five years those clubhouses were constructed from nothing. More than that, over the years he was a councillor and a great contributor to the community. In particular, he was the driving force behind the creation of the Sorrento Youth and Community House. And there is more: he was involved in the Sorrento football club. He was a great figure on the southern peninsula.

We all represent electorates that contain figures who make our communities what they are. Ken was loved by and loved Kim and was very proud of his son, Nicholas, who is 22 and a carpenter. On behalf of our community, I thank Ken's family for his contribution. You should be incredibly proud of him.