Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Osborne is a football and netball club 122 years young. It is a club without a town. And, for most of the years that Osborne has been in existence, it has had Garry O'Connell doing something for the club: playing, captain-coaching or in administration as the president. Indeed, during Garry's accumulated 25-year reign as the president of the Osborne football club, he successfully recruited many coaches and footballers, and this resulted in 17 premierships.

For Garry, it was all about family—as he always put his family first—faith and football, and, for those last two, it just depended on what day of the week it was, which order they came in. Certainly, at his funeral last Friday, at which his great lifelong friend Father Terence Mahedy officiated, there was much about his faith in St Mary's Catholic Church which was espoused.

We loved Garry in the Riverina. We respected him. He loved his wife, the late Miriam, and certainly their eight children, Martin, Christine, Anne, Elizabeth, Garnet, Michael, Robert and Catherine. His four boys all played footy. His girls played netball. Indeed, it was a family occasion. And we miss him greatly.

It was good to catch up with Merv Wegener. He was Garry's vice-president of the Hume league for 17 years, and they made sure that football was put first. And indeed we wish that he rest in peace. Vale, Garry O'Connell.