Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to the late Mr Geoffrey Penny or 'Ted', as he was commonly known. Ted passed away earlier this month and his funeral service is this Friday. Ted, a Noongar elder in Western Australia, was a role model and leader in Indigenous education. Living in my electorate of Hasluck in Gosnells, Ted founded the Moorditj Noongar Community College in Middle Swan, which is also in my electorate.

Ted spent over two decades as a teacher before moving into executive roles within the education department of Western Australia. Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people across Western Australia benefitted from his mentorship, guidance and wisdom. Ted was a humble man and in my opinion he was a guiding and powerful force within the field of Aboriginal education within Western Australia. Ted believed that education was the pathway to success and advocated for strong parental involvement in children's learning journeys.

I hope that this legacy of his continues on, as many continue to be impacted by his positive contribution to the education of Aboriginal children and education more broadly. His sense of humour, his passion for life and his wit will be missed by all of those who knew him and who considered him to be a close friend and colleague. He leaves an incredible gap in the leadership within the Noongar community.

See this speech in context