John Forrest (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, too, want to associate myself with the remarks being made by members. The Horsham Remlaw Road fire was by no means anywhere near as extensive as the fires that have been described by other members, but the impact was much the same. Nine dwellings—nine homes with all their memorabilia and museums of fond memories—were destroyed, and the identification with other parts of rural Victoria, with such massive losses of life, has made it very real. There will be commemorative functions at Haven this weekend. Haven was the suburb of the city of Horsham which took the brunt of the Remlaw Road fire.

There are a lot of people that I would like to thank, including the Prime Minister, who showed an interest in that fire and made sure that the people of Wimmera were not left out of the considerations and expressions of empathy and support. I, too, would like to thank the member for Maribyrnong for his visits and the assistance he provided. There is an organisation that needs to be thanked, too, that has not been mentioned yet, which is the Insurance Council of Australia. There were immense problems associated with insurance, but they formed a task force and all of those problems have been resolved.

The only remaining dilemma for the people of the city of Horsham is the replacement of their famous golf club. It was, sadly, underinsured and completely destroyed. It was as if a bombshell had hit it. I am hopeful that, between the state and federal governments, we might still find a way to assist that community and restore that magnificent facility. It has an enormous international reputation and the community itself has got right behind that golf club, recognising its community significance, as has the international golfing community. Even the University of Ballarat has provided a building to be utilised as a club room, but it is by no means adequate. That remains about the only undone business from the Remlaw Road fire.

I will be looking forward to the opportunity of sharing in the commemorative functions in Haven. To all of those people involved, I express my special appreciation.

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