Mrs GASH (9:48 AM) —Joseph Jameson is an old digger and he is one of my constituents. Joseph Jameson is a courageous Australian, not because he performed any individual act of bravery, like running into a burning building or saving someone who was drowning—he did neither of those things. Instead, he did something which is truly admirable, and he has been doing it for a long time.

Joseph Jameson is 86 and a survivor of Changi and the infamous Thai-Burma Railway of World War II. About a month ago, all Australians paused on Remembrance Day. It was on this day that I was given the honour of presenting him with a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Nowra TPI association. It was at this point that I gained some insight into the man. The certificate recognised his dedication to fellow veterans and those incapacitated through war. He has worked tirelessly for their benefit, putting their interests ahead of his own. The certificate said it was for meritorious service, and the merit was in his humanity and not so much his work—although I have no doubt he worked tirelessly.

Mr Jameson is patently a humble man who prefers to talk about others, and on the day I made the presentation all he wanted to do was talk about the contribution of our settlers and pioneers. It was his belief that it was they who laid the grounds for who we are today. He spoke about their courage and sacrifice and the fact that we owe so much to their dedication. We can only guess what he himself went through as a young man, a prisoner of the Japanese, trying to survive in a harsh and deadly environment. To survive that and then turn to helping others takes considerable strength of character, and Mr Jameson has more than amply demonstrated that. It is the quality of his contribution that cements our society, for, without characters like Joseph Jameson, what are we? We need to be able to stand up and say to Mr Jameson and citizens of his ilk, `Thank you for showing us how it should be done.'

Mr Jameson looks much younger than his 86 years. He does not show the rigours of his imprisonment and if he has any bitterness he masks it well. In fact, he looks like someone who has risen to a higher plateau. We can all learn from people like Mr Jameson, but only if we take the time to stop and listen. He has had a lot of experience gained by doing it tough and if we had the patience to listen we could perhaps save ourselves a lot of hardship. But, humans being human, we are destined to repeat past mistakes. Mr Jameson serves as a model for what we could strive to be: compassionate, humane, understanding and forgiving. In my eyes he is a hero and should be regarded as such. We need to encourage our younger generation to show respect towards their elders, but we can only do that by setting the right example ourselves. I salute you, Joseph Jameson, and we in Gilmore are proud and richer because of your presence.