Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence: last Sunday, 12 October, was the sixth anniversary of the Bali bombings. Within the electorate of Cowan is the Kingsley football club, a club that sadly lost players during an end-of-season trip to Bali. I would like to make some comments with respect to the Kingsley football club, and I will begin by uttering the statement ‘For the boys’. That will become relevant soon.

In 2002 the Kingsley Cats were in the E grade of the local competition. Having turned a number of less than glorious seasons around, both the league team and the reserve team made the grand final. Unfortunately, the league team did not quite get there on the day, but the reserves did. In the preparation and the lead-up to the grand final, towards the end of the season, many members of the club decided that they would go to Bali, an overseas trip to finish off the season. On 12 October they arrived in Bali.

I would like to read the names of all those present on the trip because they have not yet been noted in Hansard in the federal parliament: Ash Diver, ‘Bruiser’; Dean Gallagher, ‘Deano’; Jason Stokes, ‘Stokesy’; Damon Brimson, ‘Damo’; Duane Pearce, ‘Pearcey’; Jason Madden, ‘Madds’; Simon Quayle; Byron Hancock, ‘Byza’; Corey Paltridge and his work partner, Paul Adams; David Ross, ‘Baldy’; Brad McIlroy, ‘Macca’; Adam Nimmo; Phil Britton, ‘Britts’; Jonathon Wade, ‘Jono’; Anthony Stewart, ‘Big Stewie’; Kalan Zomer; Laurie Kerr; Brad Phillips, ‘Rooster’; and Ben Clohessy were all members of the Kingsley Football Club Bali end of season trip.

On the day they arrived in Bali they went straight to their hotel and relaxed for the rest of the day then went out to dinner. Then they decided they would hit the nightspots and they began with the Sari Club. As we know, Paddy’s Bar was the scene of the first explosion and very shortly thereafter the Sari Club itself was blown up in a terrible, vicious explosion. The result was that seven of the players from the club were killed: Dean Gallagher, Jason Stokes, Byron Hancock, Corey Paltridge, David Ross, Jonathon Wade and Anthony Stewart. Thirteen survived but two were pretty seriously wounded with severe burns and were airlifted back.

The 11 survivors that were left in Bali decided that they would stay and look for their seven missing team mates. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, there was no hope. They then decided they would refuse to fly home until they could go home as a team—they would return to Australia as a team. They could not come home due to the flight schedules, but that was fortunate because the noted and famous Perth businessman, Kerry Stokes, who previously had no affiliation with the club, provided his private aeroplane and flew them back.

On the return home the team mates committed to building a new clubroom as a memorial to their lost friends. On arrival back in Perth they announced the plan to the waiting crowd, families, friends and media. That commenced a wave of donations and pledges of support to see the clubrooms and a memorial built as a living, lasting memorial for the seven players who died. On Sunday, 20 October that year a candlelight vigil was held with the assistance of the City of Joondalup and conducted by Father Brian Morrison. Around 10,000 people filled the oval at Kingsley. As a result of that the number of generous donations of time, effort and money were made and the commencement of the clubrooms began.

When you look at Kingsley, this event, in many ways, has defined the suburb. Everybody knows about it and the club is the centre in some ways, or the heart, of Kingsley now. Fortunately, apart from those private people who made donations and put their effort into it, the club was also supported by the builder Dale Alcock, who coordinated and donated materials and volunteered labour, tradesmen and other expertise. The clubrooms were, in fact, constructed as an attachment to the existing building and a foyer and memorial hall were joined to that old building. The clubroom had the words ‘For the boys’ emblazoned on the memorial hall wall.

It is worth noting that, of the survivors, Ben Clohessy was awarded the Star of Courage for his bravery in helping to save people at the Sari Club. I am also informed by the club that this is the second time Ben has been given an award for bravery, having saved a woman at another time. It is also worth noting that on 7 October this year Ben became a father, and I congratulate him on that. That was a great day for him.

Afterwards there was always the potential that the club would fall over, would lay down and die as it struggled with the impact of what had happened, but that did not occur. People fought back and they united, and even those who were injured came back and played again the next year. Phil Britton fought back the agony of his burns and astounded everyone by coming back to play, and he was re-appointed club captain. Laurie Kerr also recovered from his burns and assisted the league coaching panel. And so on: other members of families of those who had died came to the club. In fact it was the sister-in-law of Jason Stokes who made the mosaic for the memorial hall floor in the clubrooms.

What happened at the Sari Club was a great tragedy: 202 people died, 88 of whom were Australians; among them were seven from the Kingsley Football Club. But from that adversity great work has been done. The club has risen from the ashes and fights through. Each year on the Sunday evening close to 12 October the club and the community of Kingsley unite to pay their respects to those members of the club. I also pay tribute to the seven who died and to the Kingsley Football Club, which survives and fights on.

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