Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to acknowledge the life of Uncle Kevin Torrens, an elder of the Western Bundjalung people from my community. Uncle Kevin was born in Casino in 1952, and he grew up in Tabulam. Since he was a child he has always loved being on the land and hunting for bush tucker. As a young adult Uncle Kevin was committed to developing educational opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. He worked for over a decade at Balund-a in Tabulam, a pioneering program that aims to reduce reoffending and enhance the skills of people sent to the facility. He was a cultural mentor for residents and other colleagues. Balund-a has a tremendously positive impact on the lives of people spending time there as well as the families and communities that they return to. In the 1990s Uncle Kevin was asked by his father-in-law, Bernie Hickling, to get the ancestral lands of their people returned to them. The 800-hectare piece of land is known as Jubal, and through the Indigenous Land Corporation he worked tirelessly in developing the application for the lands to be returned to the traditional owners.

Uncle Kevin passed away on 15 November this year. I extend my thoughts to his wife, Marjorie, and his children, Mary, Marilyn, Kelly, Gina, Wesley, Cindy and Leonard, and their families. He was very much loved by the whole community and will be greatly missed.

In the heart of Grafton stands an iconic Grafton clock tower. It's a landmark that we all love, and it's nearly as famous as our Jacarandas. In 1908 the Grafton Municipal Council were preparing to celebrate the town's 50-year jubilee, and they set up a committee to organise and oversee the celebrations. The mayor encouraged suggestions to find a suitable memorial to the occasion, and it was announced that a town clock tower would be constructed as the memorial. The council voted that 400 pounds should be expended from council funds on the celebrations, and the major part of that was to be for the construction of a suitable clock was tower for the city. It was built by Jacob Walter and officially unveiled in July 1909. It rises to a height of 42 feet from ground level and is on a solid concrete foundation, which is 18-inches thick. It has played a very important part in Grafton's history, with locals using the clock tower's time as their main reference point to the time. Real estate agents use adverts like 'Charming three-bedroom house only 500 yards from the clock tower.'

The 111-year-old icon has played an important part in special events too. In 1953 it was decorated with flags, bunting and a huge crown for the street parade in celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Nowadays it wears a crown of lights every year for the Jacaranda Festival. This is an important local landmark, and it is great to recognise it here in parliament.

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