Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It was a real honour for me last week to host the Prime Minister in the Derwent Valley town of New Norfolk. I was particularly pleased that the new Prime Minister chose the electorate of Lyons as the first stop on his visit to Tasmania. More than 200 community members attended a breakfast at the historic Willow Court. It was the first public event held in the refurbished Bronte building at Willow Court and the facility showed off its potential for future such events. It is now the subject of a full assessment by the National Heritage Council for inclusion on the register.

A dedicated team led by council works manager Charlie Crosswell worked into the night during the week before Mr Turnbull's visit to finish the painting and landscaping at Bronte. The large crowd, keen to meet the new Prime Minister, enjoyed a breakfast spread prepared by the Magra Country Women's Association. One of the guests to chat with Mr Turnbull was 92-year-old Mr Ken O'Brien OAM, a long-time Derwent Valley resident who owned and operated a business in New Norfolk for many years. The last time Mr O'Brien met an Australian Prime Minister at New Norfolk was in 1954 when Sir Robert Menzies and Dame Pattie were special guests at a public gathering at the theatre. When Mr O'Brien realised, he was horrified that all they had were a couple of kitchen chairs for them to sit in. As the story goes, he raced back to his shop and proceeded to find chairs that were more suitable for a Prime Minister.

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