Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to the pay tribute to two Western Sydney community stalwarts who recently and sadly left us. Firstly, there was Ken Roberts. Ken would be proudly described as a staunch Labor man, an outspoken advocate not just for his local area but also on the issues which he felt were important to the entire state and country. When he left us, he was 79.

Kenneth Claude Roberts had been a resident of Blacktown since the 1950s, having joined the ALP in 1954 just before turning 20. He served on Blacktown Municipal Council from 1968 to 1979 and then on the Blacktown City Council, as it would become, from 1979 until 1987. He served as deputy mayor from 1977 to 1978. In 1980 when Labor swept up 11 of the 15 council positions, Ken stood at the centre of that campaign. We hear at times the description of someone as being 'rusted on Labor', well, that was Ken.

He continued to play a humble background role in his beloved Labor Party well beyond his years on council. That is where I first met him, when I joined the party in 1989. He would staff polling booths and ensure attendance at branch meetings. One of my team noted last Friday in a conversation totally removed from this speech that Ken would always be a great mentor to younger party members and supporters at polling booths or branch meetings. I certainly would always stand perched higher on my toes whenever I would see Ken's arm rise indicating that he was getting ready for a question. He always knew how to frame his questions for full effect, and I always appreciated the good humour with which he delivered those questions but also his commitment that underpinned it.

He would see a lot of change in Blacktown across seven decades and we are a sadder place for his passing. My condolences go to his partner, Lucy, and his three children, Murray, Lindsay and Rachel, along with Pat, Brett, Jake, Liam and Billie.

On 29 April, soon after celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary to husband, Steven, community stalwart Marlene Sewell passed away after a short illness. She was a long-time resident of Eastern Creek. It was difficult to think of a cause that Marlene and her family were not involved in in our area. One of the big causes she was involved in was Mount Druitt Hospital, for which she raised many thousands of dollars. She passed away in the palliative care ward of the same hospital aged 68. My colleague in New South Wales parliament Richard Amery recently recalled in the condolence motion how Marlene was involved in every single community cause. In fact, there was not a cause she was not involved in. She had taken on to hand out petition forms or walk the streets on issues she was passionate about. She packed a lot into a life of 68 years. Our thoughts go out to Marlene's husband, Steve, and family, Darren, Louise, Wendy and Suzanne, along with Kristy, Juliah, Jack, Thomas, Alex, Max and Samuel. All the best to her family.