Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in the House today—

Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Main Committee.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in the Main Committee today—I thank my honourable friend for his correction—to note the passing of a man called James B Jarvis, a former Lord Mayor of Adelaide from 1985 to 1987. James Jarvis died a couple of weeks ago. He was a noteworthy lord mayor of the great city of Adelaide, the 73rd lord mayor. He was responsible for implementing the City of Adelaide plan. He was also the lord mayor during the visit to Adelaide of His Holiness Pope John Paul II and Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II and he carried off both of those events with terrific charm and aplomb.

He was something of a fixture on the Adelaide scene in terms of charity work and a major contributor to public policy in Adelaide and South Australia. He also happened to be a very dear and close friend of my family. The Jarvis family and the Pyne family were linked inextricably by spending about 20 summers together at Hallett Cove and Victor Harbor. We only stopped getting together during summers because our families became too large.

His very good wife Levaun Jarvis passed away about 10 years ago. She had the distinction of being a distant cousin of my mother, the stepsister of Amanda Vanstone and a significant figure in the South Australian Liberal Party. She was the person who first got me involved in Liberal politics. I send my condolences to his second wife Sky, whom he married after Levaun’s death. I send my condolences to his children, Timothy, Nicholas, Edwina, James, Adam, Benjamin and Samuel. Members can understand why we could not find a beach house big enough for the five Pyne children, the seven Jarvis children and all the various parents.

Jim played a crucial role in South Australia. It is sad that an era has come to an end with the death of both Jim and Levaun. His children are wonderful people. Most of them still live in South Australia. His son Nicholas gave the eulogy at Jim’s funeral and said that his happiest memory of his father was watching Jim and my father painting—two amateur painters—on the beach at Hallett Cove. I wanted to make sure that I took the opportunity to note my great respect for the Jarvis family and for Jim and the contribution that he made to Adelaide and South Australia.