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

The death of Verdun Edward Pearn in September marked the end of an era for the small rural town of Westbury in the northern part of my electorate of Lyons, a town which for nearly 30 years has been the home of the intriguing Pearns Steam World. Despite being the second oldest of the Pearn clan of five, Verdun, aged 97, was the last surviving sibling—perhaps that had something to do with his inquiring mind. Verdun 's niece, Ruth Patterson, said that even as a small child he had an inquiring mind. One day the enterprising young Verdun dragged the cream separator out of the dairy, took the cups-ups off it, laid it on its side and placed a metal disk on top of the spindle. Cranking the handle as fast as he could, Verdun watched in amazement as the metal disk flew off at speed and disappeared through two fences, never to be seen again.

Verdun was always tinkering and at 15 he made model steam engine which is still in the amazing array of steam powered machines and artefacts on display at Pearn Steam World. After World War II Verdun and his two brothers, Zenith and Jack, formed their own Pearn Brothers Company and together ran the agricultural contracting business in the local area. It was together as a team that the three brothers also decided later on in life to collect one of every brand of steam engine that worked in Tasmania.

In 1968 they held Tasmania's first steam rally at the family's Sunnyside property at Hagley. It soon became an annual event. So when the close-knit trio of brothers contemplated retirement they gathered together their steam engines and moved them to town to transform the former Westbury livestock saleyards into Pearns Steam World. Verdun was a quiet, shy man by nature but he learnt to speak to visitors by discussing his lifelong passion for steam. Verdun was the last of his siblings—Jack, Zen, Joan and Gwen—so his death marks the end of an era.

It is now very much up to the local community to take over the enormous legacy that Verdun and his brothers have left not only the people of the Meander Valley but also the community of Tasmania. I understand the passion that many people have for steam, and the Pearn brothers are intrinsically linked to steam in my state of Tasmania. They have saved many steam engines that would have otherwise gone the way of the dinosaur. They have done a wonderful job, and I encourage anybody that is passing through Westbury to visit Pearns Steam World.