Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 30 October, a lion of the Australian music industry and the Northern Beaches community lost his long battle with illness. Ross Barlow was from the small New South Wales town of Braidwood, but became a citizen of much of the world. During World War II, the Air Force used Braidwood for training runs. On one such run, they flew so low over his house that his mother's prized crystal bowl fell from the shelf. Ross told me years later that her reaction was the scariest thing he got to see during the war.

Ross graduated from Canberra Grammar and later went into country radio, a profession well-suited to his deep and resonant voice. He became a legend in the Australian music scene, where he discovered and developed some of our most famous musicians, receiving an OAM for his services. His stories were legendary and included his attendance at Elton John's wedding. Later in life, he took on the role of mentoring many leaders on the Northern Beaches. My friend Ross demanded proper behaviour, most highly observed in the service to others. He retired more times than I can think of, but was always called back, leading to yet another tribute dinner. His contribution will be missed, and it is not likely that his shoes will soon or easily be filled.