Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Wednesday, 27 October 2010 a funeral service was conducted at St Paul the Apostle South Church in Endeavour Hills. The church was overflowing with mourners, with many hundreds of people attending to commemorate and to honour the passing of a very special individual. Many people at the funeral noted the achievements of this person’s life, how she had selflessly helped many in her career and how she had changed the lives of so many people. They noted that she had devoted her life to assisting others. It was also noted that this person had wonderful energy and that her caring and loving nature would be missed by all.

This special person was Beverley Bernadette Cresswell, Secretary of the St Paul Apostle Parish Centre, who passed away on Wednesday 20 October 2010 after losing her battle with cancer. This cancer was relentless. Bev courageously survived an initial bout of this cancer 10 years ago. However, unfortunately it returned and though she courageously fought the cancer claimed her life.

Bev had a special role at the St Paul Apostle Parish Centre for the last 18 years. She was not only the head of the after-school religious education program but also a founding member and leader of the Can Care Cancer Support Group. Bev would volunteer three days a week at the parish. She was the quintessential quiet achiever who only wanted to help others and asked for nothing in return.

In particular, as I mentioned before, Bev, with the help of other cancer survivors, helped to create the Can Care Cancer Support Group that has been functioning for four years now. This support group provides all people touched by cancer with the opportunity to come and socialise in a friendly atmosphere. Bev fully understood that living with cancer can be a lonely experience and that not everyone is comfortable sharing this experience. Accordingly, Bev helped to create a group that assisted people who had experienced or who had suffered from cancer. She was often phoned at the office by people wanting to speak with her to gain her gentle and sympathetic ear. Bev also helped run the St Paul Apostle Parish religious education program for children attending government schools. This again demonstrates how Bev’s devotion to helping others, especially children, came to the fore.

According to the local school community, Bev was a fantastic person, always giving of her own special gifts and always with a cheerful disposition. Nothing seemed to be an inconvenience to her. I have been to the parish twice recently and I have witnessed Bev’s selfless work first hand and how she made a real and significant difference to the St Paul Apostle Parish that was established in January 1980 with Father Frank Martin as the first parish priest.

I also wish to point out that since 1980 the parish has become a very important meeting point for many people in the Endeavour Hills community. The other parish groups include the seniors’ club, the men’s club, the women’s Woman and Wine Club, the young people club, the tennis club, the craft group, the garden group and the passionate family group. According to the parish team, ‘Bev has made a wonderful contribution to many aspects of our parish life but most of all she will be fondly remembered for the person she was, a women for others gracious, generous, and gifted.’

In addition to her work at the parish, Bev has also been one of the founding volunteers at the Wellsprings for Women organisation, an organisation that helps marginalised women in the local community. From very humble beginnings through the vision of Sister Anne Halpin, the Wellsprings for Women organisation has grown into a vital community service in Dandenong. It provides a very welcoming non-judgemental environment for women of all religious, ethnic and family backgrounds in need of support, encouragement and protection. Many of these women have experienced very challenging lives and need the healing environment that Wellsprings for Women provides. Additionally, this great facility offers programs that provide women with opportunities for personal growth, education and skills that will empower them to lead their lives to the full.

Bev also worked for four of the last ten years with the drug referral service of the Cyrene Centre to assist people with addiction and provide support for the families. This again goes to show how this quiet achiever did so much to help others in the local community of Endeavour Hills. Bev’s generous service as a faith filled person will be remembered and missed by many in the Endeavour Hills community and across the south eastern suburbs where the various organisations that she was involved in are based.

To her husband, Lindsay, her children, Kim, Lee, Ian and Zoe, and her granddaughter, Isla, I wish to express my sincere condolences for your loss. I hope that in some way shape or form this statement tonight acknowledges her substantial contribution to the community and encourages others to follow her lead of selfless dedication to the cause.