Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you turn left at Oak Street in my city at the top of the hill you'll find an old farmhouse, an Ashgrovian besser block built in underneath, where 104-year-old Nick Poluyanovski is still living independently. What a remarkable man! He remembers his first days in 1920, a hundred years ago, so crystal clear. He's a gentle, forgiving and generous man, with jet white hair and the hands of a farmer.

His parents fled across Russia, opposed to the tsars, and came by boat from Vladivostok. His sister was born on the Trans-Siberian railway. He's survived all of his sisters, and he's gone on to look after his extended family, but he doesn't have children of his own. He still lives in the home his family moved into in the 1940s and remains an incredible person to catch up and reflect with. He has his favourite sports; he stays up all night watching the cricket. He loves Steve Smith. He's an incredibly generous man. He loves his racing and reading the paper, and he chats to his neighbours, who visit him regularly. Nick Poluyanovski is a giant of my community, and it's awesome to sit with someone who can remember a hundred years ago. He's a centenarian with a very, very special story to tell, and it's a story I'm proud to tell here.