Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to honour the passing of the life of a very successful and very kind entrepreneur and community minded member of the Central Coast—none other than George Brand. If people looked up George Brand on the internet, they would find out that there is a big company on the Central Coast with six offices that describes itself as a dynamic and innovative property firm based on the Central Coast. But, essentially, I knew him as 'George down the road', who took over the local real estate and built a real estate connection right across the coast, employing hundreds and hundreds of people over the years. In fact, George started that business selling real estate from a caravan in the suburb that both he and I called home for so much of our lives, Copacabana. Out of that caravan, people's dreams of buying a piece of land and building a home came true.

George, as I said, was an incredibly affable gentleman. He was much loved, and his contributions to the surf life saving community right across the coast are something people will remember for a very, very long time. Indeed, a former member of the House of Representatives in the seat of Robertson, Barry Cohen, was a recipient of a very surprising visit from George at one point in time, who declared that he wanted to make a contribution to Barry Cohen's campaign. George was into anything that was great for our community.

Sadly, he has suffered a long illness, and I know that his family—particularly his beautiful wife, Tosca—are grieving him greatly at this point in time. Can I give my sincere condolences to you, Tosca, to your and George's children, to your grandchildren and to the larger community across the Central Coast—to those who've worked for George or were offered a job by George, like I was, in the wonderful work that he did in more than 50 years in business on the Coast.