Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I would like to pay tribute to a man who devoted a great part of his life to the surf lifesaving movement. Noel Frank Bullpitt MBE passed away recently in Bundaberg aged 100. He celebrated his 100th birthday in November last year at a function where his family and friends gathered to see him re-presented with the bronze medallion which he obtained originally on 1 October 1934, nearly 80 years ago.

Noel was synonymous with the Bundaberg Surf Lifesaving Club as a member for 79 years and as president of the club for 41. He served as club captain and secretary and was awarded the Royal Lifesaving Citation of Merit in 1978 and the Surf Lifesaving Australia Outstanding Achievement Award in 1988. Along with Judge Adrian Curlewis, he was one of the very rare people who received a life governorship of Surf Lifesaving Australia. Noel was a member of the very famous march-past team which was inducted into Surf Lifesaving Australia's Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2007, the Year of the Lifesaver, Noel was awarded a medal of thanks and recognition for his many years of service to the club. Noel turned his thoughts on his beloved club, writing a tome The Surf Lifesaving Saga: The Bundaberg Surf Lifesaving Club, in which he detailed the club's history of the 65 years from 1921 to 1986.

In public life Noel was secretary of the Fairymead Sugar Club, which later became Bundaberg Sugar, where he was also the secretary. He was an alderman of the Bundaberg City Council and a member of the port authority. He was an early mentor of mine in my political life and I feel a great debt of gratitude to him as a good friend and a person you could rely on for guidance. His was a life well-lived and his three sons and daughter have every reason to be proud of his contribution to sport, to his city and to his country.