Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are many wonderful people in my electorate of McPherson and today I would like to acknowledge two very special people, George and Mildred Hohl. Mildred Hohl is 96 years old and George turned 101 on 21 April. On 20 March this year, George and Mildred celebrated 75 years of marriage. This is a remarkable achievement, and I congratulate them both on this very wonderful achievement.

I first met George and Mildred about 16 years ago as they are members of the Burleigh Heads Uniting Church, where my father was an elder, and both George and Mildred were in the congregation on the day that my youngest daughter was christened. George and Mildred are two of the nicest people that you could ever meet. They are truly a very devoted couple, and I feel very privileged to know them. They have been a wonderful support over the years to my parents, especially to my mother over the last couple of years. I know that they have provided very wonderful support and friendship to many other members of the church. Both George and Mildred are held in very high regard by the congregation.

They kept their 75th wedding anniversary fairly quietly amongst the church congregation. When this came up and it was mentioned to George, his reply was, 'I don't like to brag.' I think that says a lot about George and also about Mildred. They are both very humble people with very big hearts. They have nine children, 21 grandchildren and more than 40 great-grandchildren. I am sure their anniversary party was one heck of a party with all of those family members joining in the celebration.

The Burleigh Heads Uniting Church, where George and Mildred are part of the congregation, is also the base for the Never Alone friendship group that was founded by Neville and Dulcie Free. Both Neville and Dulcie received a McPherson Community Achiever Award last year for the work that they have done with this community group and with other community groups in supporting people in the southern end of the Gold Coast. I congratulate Neville and Dulcie on the wonderful work that they do.

The Never Alone friendship group meets once a week, generally on a Wednesday, and there are 40 members of that group. They come along and participate in a range of activities—they might play bingo, they might go on an outing—but basically the purpose of the group is to provide support, friendship and companionship to older members of our community. Neville and Dulcie Free set up the group specifically to help relieve the feeling of isolation that many people feel. The southern Gold Coast does have a significant number of older people, some of whom are on their own now and really need the support and friendship that is offered by the Never Alone friendship group.

I thank Neville and Dulcie Free. I thank Reverend Colin Batt from the Burleigh Heads Uniting Church, and I thank the congregation for the work they do.