Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Industry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to a longtime friend, local WA Labor icon and Neighbourhood Watch stalwart, Doreen Southam, who passed away over the weekend. Doreen was around as long I can remember, a faithful member of the Armadale-Kelmscott branch, always going above and beyond, helping out anyone and everyone whenever she could. Many locals and Labor Party branch members have shared with me their memories of Doreen in recent days. Even the former local Liberal divisional president had praise for her. She always had a great story to tell and a camera in her hand. Doreen loved taking photos and would whip out her camera at any opportunity she could, delivering hard copy prints to my office a week or even some months later. I have had some fantastic moments around my office captured by Doreen over the years, including a photo of her TV while an ABC News story of an inquiry hearing was showing and I had appeared on-screen. She dramatically told the story of spotting me and then dashing into the other room to get her camera and just jagging the perfect shot as the story ended. That picture is framed in my office. Doreen's enthusiasm for life motivated everyone around her and her care for others shone through. Doreen always had a smile on her face, both on her lips and in her eyes. She was always the first to volunteer and always stood up for 'her boys'—me and our local state MLA, Dr Tony Buti. She will be missed deeply by all of us in the WA Labor movement. Vale Doreen.