Dr SOUTHCOTT (9:14 PM) —I rise to celebrate the life of Mr John Mathwin, OAM. John was born in 1919 and grew up in Liverpool. He died in June 2004, just two days short of his 85th birthday. He was a master painter by trade, and he served with the Royal Engineers 15th (Scottish) Division. He served in the Battle of Britain, was part of the landings at Normandy and was one of the first to cross the Rhine and enter Germany. In 1951 he came to Australia with his first wife, Gladys, who, sadly, died at the age of 42 when John was the Mayor of Brighton. He joined the Liberal Party in 1953, and he was the Liberal candidate for Bonython in 1955. Although he did not live to see it, I know how pleased he would have been that much of the old seat of Bonython is now represented by the Liberal Party for the first time ever. He served as a councillor with the Brighton City Council from 1960 to 1971. Later, after 35 years, he returned to the same council as a councillor from 1994 to 1997, and from 1997 to 2003 he was a councillor and deputy mayor of the merged council, which was named Holdfast Bay.

There was no voluntary group in Brighton that John Mathwin was not involved in. He was involved in the South Australian Good Neighbour Council, Brighton Lacrosse Club, Somerton Surf Life Saving Club, Glenelg Rotary Club, Seacliff Youth Centre and Brighton Probus Club. He was involved in Brighton Meals on Wheels from 1962 to 2000. For much of that time he was a driver and the president of that organisation. He was involved with the City of Holdfast Bay Concert Band. He was involved with the Brighton Senior Citizens Club, and he helped to build their hall, which is now leased from the local council for a peppercorn rent.

John was elected as the state member for Glenelg from 1970 to 1985. That seat was abolished in 1985. He ran for, and was defeated in, the seat of Bright in 1985.

I would like to share several memories I have of John. I grew up in the seat he represented in the state parliament, so one of my earliest memories of politics was of John Mathwin's posters on large gum trees along Brighton Road. Now we put them on Stobie poles, not on gum trees, because people do not like them being on trees. Even back then it was a problem and, if any `greenies' complained, John would say that he was giving them their `three-year iron injections'. In 1995 I was fortunate to have John Mathwin show me around as a candidate. He took me around to local functions to meet with all the community groups. I am sure that all members know how useful it is to have someone like that. He also got me roped in to become a driver with Meals on Wheels and a patron of the City of Holdfast Bay Concert Band.

The Liberal Party branch members, who had been his members for so long, he trained well. If ever I had a function, one of the members, Mabs Pearce, would paint a painting and donate it. When she received my material she would go and doorknock her street. It was the practice of an older generation of Liberal voters that I never had to ask for anything; they did all these things off their own bat.

To give an example of how long he was involved in the community, I remember being struck by a plaque at the Seacliff Youth Centre which showed that it had been opened by John Mathwin, as mayor of Brighton, in 1965. It would have been 35 years later that I was there, when he was deputy mayor of the successor organisation, the City of Holdfast Bay. I was very proud to be present at the opening of John Mathwin Park in November 2001, the day after the election, and to present him with a Centenary of Federation Medal in July 2003. He always had a good word of advice, and he called everyone `lad'. When he retired from council in 2003, he was interviewed by the local paper, and he said that he hoped to return to Normandy in June 2004 for the 60th anniversary of the landings. Sadly, he was too ill to travel. I convey my condolences to his five children, John, Stephen, Jeanette, Peter and Kaye, and their families, and to John's friend Cecily, who provided him with so much support. He helped me enormously, and I will miss him.