Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to acknowledge the contribution of a very special resident in my electorate, Bill Jakobssen, who sadly passed away earlier this month. The passing away of any community member generally involves much sadness, as families come together to celebrate their life. Unfortunately, due to parliamentary commitments, I missed Bill’s funeral. This was a very special man—a person who was much loved by all residents in Macquarie Fields. Bill was born in Sweden in 1924 and worked as a ship’s carpenter, which brought him to Australia for the first time in 1947. It was shortly after that that he met his wife of 55 years, Helen.

Bill returned to Sweden with Helen two years later. When she became homesick after having their first child, Peter, they returned to Australia and settled down in Macquarie Fields. Bill built his own home there and set about raising a family and contributing significantly to our local community. Bill and Helen married in 1953 and raised three more children—Sandra, Nils and Katherine—and eventually went on to enjoy nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Bill became a very proud Australian citizen in 1959. Away from the sea Bill worked as a cable maker at Cablemakers, Liverpool. He worked there for 34 years until he retired at the age of 70. Bill was a tireless campaigner for workers’ rights during his long working life. (Time expired)