Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In January, the late Kevin Pearce was posthumously awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his service to the Wyong community. Kevin worked as a criminal lawyer with Aubrey Brown Lawyers on the coast for 34 years. He was highly respected locally for his volunteer and pro bono work, including mentoring mock trial students from local high schools. He also played a key role in the establishment of the Wyong Local Court's Traffic Offender Intervention Program and the Wyong Community Aid Panel Program in the 1980s. Both programs are recognised as being ahead of their time and are now commonplace across New South Wales, benefiting thousands of people.

In addition to his professional work as a lawyer, Kevin was also heavily involved in sport and the wider sporting community, particularly rugby league, having served the Wyong Roos as a player, board member, director and chair. Under Kevin's watch, the club has built a strong community profile across and beyond the coast, with the leagues club supporting schools, other sports and charities in our community. Kevin also served as a director of the Wyong Race Club for 20 years. Kevin dedicated his life to Wyong, to our community, and he made our community a better place.

I am very fortunate to have known Kevin and to have gone to school with his children. To his wife, Nola, and their children, Kelly, Angela and Ben: thank you for giving so generously of your husband, and father, to all of us. To his grandchildren, who affectionately knew Kevin as 'Hadda': I know how much you miss Hadda—we all do.