Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to pay tribute to rural fire service captain David Lavis. David was a well-known face and friend to many in the Sutherland shire rural fire service. More than that, he was a genuine local hero. He served as a proud member of the rural fire service for 30 years and as captain of the Kurnell brigade for 17 years. Sadly, he passed away this month at the age of 62 after a long battle with cancer. The rural fire service do a stellar job protecting lives and communities. It is a gruelling job but nevertheless David's daughter, Rebecca, said, 'His biggest love was the fire brigade.' He was involved in responding to all major incidents and bushfires in the shire but it was not just a summer job.

Rural fire service volunteers work right throughout the year, from hazard reduction in the cooler months to rescue efforts assisting the SES and on rare occasions attending to incidents at the Kurnell refinery. Our local community gathered this morning at the South Chapel in Woronora to farewell David. His RFS colleagues donned their yellow gear to provide a guard of honour. Our thoughts are with his wife, Carolyn, his family, Matthew and Jennifer, Rebecca and David, Rachael and Paul and his eight grandchildren. David was a generous man who gave much to his family, his community and to our shire. At Kurnell the new headquarters and new station for the rural fire service will be an everlasting tribute to his great service and memory.

See this speech in context