Brett Whiteley (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My electorate has lost an upstanding, respected and passionate man from our midst. Trevor Marshall, from Smithton, passed away on 21 January, and his impact on our community will be deeply missed. Our communities long for men and women who are committed to the care, service and encouragement of others—Trevor was one such man. Motivated by a deeply-held Christian faith and love of his God and people, Trevor has left deep footprints for us to follow, if only we are prepared to do so.

I would class Trevor as a good friend—one of those people that you may not necessarily see that often but, when you do, they speak into your life. They encourage you in their intentional desire to build you up to make you a better person, a stronger and more compassionate person.

Trevor's positive impact on us as a community was only enhanced by his life partnership with his wife Merle—what a double act they were: full of love for others and they practically delivered this love by way of amazing hospitality. At Trevor's farewell service, all those in attendance were offered the opportunity to write down the way in which Trevor had impacted their life. I determined to make that statement today. As my electorate would know, my wife and I spent a considerable amount of time in full-time ministry in the 1990s. It was through this time that we spent a great deal more time with Trevor and Merle. Leadership in any capacity has never meant to be easy, and the church was no different, especially in Tasmania in the 1990s. I knew it and felt it, and Trevor knew it and felt it. He was a great encouragement to me. I watched and admired a man confront his own personal journey with tremendous humility and at significant personal cost. This personal cost did not prevent him from leading others to a new and exciting future with the genuine intention of seeing people's lives change and his community changed.

In the words of his great friend, Macky Popowski, who led the service, said:

His Christian faith carried him through the storms of his life and, rather than destroy him, it strengthened him. He hated religion and the religious spirit that comes with it, but loved God and loved people.

Trevor always said that I should invest my skills and my experience and passion in the wider community. He was a strong supporter of my efforts to earn a place in the Tasmanian parliament. He always told me that he was praying for me and supporting me and I knew that he was. Whilst one should avoid scoring peoples' personal prayer efforts, I can tell you when Trevor prayed publicly you were lifted off the floor.

Smithton, whilst not isolated, had lots of needs for young people and Trevor, with Ernie Quilliam and Doug Poke, had a vision for a youth camp in the late 1960s. They built that youth camp. It is still used today serving hundreds—if not thousands—of young people. Trevor put his effort and money into young people, and we thank him for the legacy that he has left.

On behalf of my community, I know when I say to you Merle, to Rob and Lesley, Christine, Tim and Jonathan thank you for sharing your husband and your dad with us. Trevor Royce Marshall has left his mark on his world and he will be missed.