Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our community says goodbye to beloved local activist Elayne Whatman, who recently passed away from coronavirus. Elayne was no stranger to my office, always raising issues that were of concern to our local community, and she was a force to be reckoned with. A woman of many achievements, Elayne was driven by a passion to record the history of Broadmeadows, including the stories of our local war veterans. Elayne lovingly collected and maintained memorabilia, including early maps with recordings of early landholders, as well as cemetery listings in Will Will Rook, Scotts Church, Donnybrook, Mickleham and Keilor. Elayne's passion, advocacy and commitment in acquiring and preserving such historical sources helped establish the Broadmeadows Historical Society. Of the many projects Elayne was involved in, I recall most 'Remembering Our Heroes' in 2015, when she sourced 60 white crosses from Canberra to be distributed to our local students. Elayne ensured that children from local schools wrote onto the crosses the names and details of soldiers listed on cenotaphs across the electorate. This was intended to create a personal connection to the commemorative events. Once the crosses were completed, they were sent on to Australian war cemeteries overseas. Elayne also served as the Broadmeadows Remembrance Memorial Association secretary and promoted the preservation of the Maygar Barracks. She organised many Anzac Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies. Thank you, Elayne Whatman. You will be forever missed in our local electorate. You were truly a local hero.