Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak to the chamber about my very good friend Meg Oates and to congratulate her for serving on Campbelltown City Council for 30 continuous years—a remarkable achievement. Having first been elected to our city's council in September 1987, Meg has spent the past 30 years tirelessly fighting for our community. Throughout her 30 years as a councillor, Meg has served as the mayor of Campbelltown for four terms, and she is currently serving as our deputy mayor.

Arriving in Australia from England in the 1970s, Meg and her late husband, John, settled in the Macarthur region and have never looked back. Since then, Meg's passion for her community and for the betterment of services for our local residents has been apparent in all aspects of her life. Whether it be Meg's dedication to the education of future generations throughout her career as a high-school teacher, her tireless efforts in fighting to preserve our Scenic Hills, her determination to see more women in public office or her constant efforts in fighting for the provision of adequate services and infrastructure to meet our city's needs, our city owes a great debt to Meg for her undying advocacy and generosity of spirit.

Similarly, throughout this time Meg has been a stalwart of the mighty Australian Labor Party, and I can't thank her enough for her service and contributions to the Labor movement. After years serving in innumerable branch, state and federal electoral council positions and having been preselected as a Labor candidate for the 2004 federal election, it was only fitting that Meg received a life membership of our party at New South Wales Labor's recent annual conference. The party, too, owes a great deal to Meg for her dedication and undying service; it has been made all the better by her contributions. There is not a meeting that we go to in my electorate that Meg is not at and providing some sort of service, from the most menial to the most difficult, and in the most complicated policy areas.

After her 30 years of hard work and dedication to the people of Campbelltown, people could certainly be forgiven for expecting Meg to relax and slow down; however, nothing could be further from the truth. Those people certainly wouldn't know Meg that well and would surely be taken by surprise. It's apparent to all the new members and to all the young people of our electorate that she has boundless energy. Since being re-elected at the local government elections in September last year, Meg has showed no indication of any intention to take it easy, and has continued to fight for local infrastructure and for the betterment of our community. Under her stewardship and that of Mayor George Brticevic, Meg has recently spearheaded a fantastic project which is the key to revitalising our city's CBD and night-life. I wish to take this opportunity to thank Meg and to thank her family for giving up their time with Meg so she could provide such a wonderful service to our community. I thank her.