Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to take this opportunity to thank, on behalf of our local community, our outgoing Mayor of the City of Hume, Councillor Helen Patsikatheodorou, who has served our constituency in her capacity as councillor for the last eight years. Helen has been a force of nature—there is no other way to describe her commitment and her passion for serving her community. She has been an incredibly hardworking and affectionate councillor. She has served twice as mayor, and I am sure that I echo the sentiments of all members of our community in expressing our gratitude to Helen for her wonderful work and commitment. She retires because she says it is time to look after herself, and that is a familiar sentiment, I think, for a lot of people who serve in public office. We will certainly miss her energy and her commitment. She is someone who was your quintessential public office holder. She believed in community, she came from the community and she was there to serve the community. There is no-one's life that she did not touch. They were left feeling that they had been listened to and that they had been assisted in whichever way they could be assisted. I just want to thank Helen and wish her all the very best. I am sure she will remain an active member of our community, but I just want to convey our gratitude and appreciation.