Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today, I just want to pay tribute to Simon Lund, a deeply respected member of Victoria's firefighting community. Known to many as Lundy, Simon sadly passed away in May after a courageous battle with cancer caused by toxic exposure during his service with the Country Fire Authority. Simon began his journey with the CFA back in 1998, first as a volunteer, before joining as a full-time staff member. Over his 27 years of dedicated service across several brigades, he worked primarily as a senior technical field officer. In recognition of Simon's remarkable contributions, his wife Tracie and their three children were presented with the chief officer's commendation at his funeral, one of the highest honours by the CFA. It was a fitting tribute for a man whose work went beyond duty. It was a lifelong commitment to public service and to the Latrobe Valley community.

Simon's leadership extended far beyond the CFA. He was Vice President of the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council, president of ALP's Morwell branch, a delegate of the Australian Services Union and deputy group officer with the Hyland Group CFA. I had the honour of meeting Simon just a few weeks before his passing as a guest speaker at the Gippsland Trades and Labour Council annual dinner. He was someone who clearly was very dedicated to his cause and also, despite his illness, continued to advocate for the expansion of presumptive rights legislation to better protect CFA personnel, and I hope that my parliamentary colleagues in the state parliament are committed to advancing this in his memory. I extend my deepest condolences to Simon's family and friends. May he rest in peace.