David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is National Sorry Day. It's a day that, sadly, recognises that Australia's past policies continue to have detrimental effects on our First Nations peoples. The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, a year to the day after the Bringing them home report was tabled in this parliament. The report was a powerful document that outlined the policies of the systematic and forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. The thinking at the end of the 19th century was that this was a good thing, but in truth it was a shameful, racist and deliberate attempt to breed out Australia's First Nations people as a race. It was a devastating policy that ran up right into the 1960s.

Until the apology by the former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, many First Nations people did not feel that their healing process could begin. Although the national apology was monumental in the healing process, 13 years on many First Nations peoples and families are still experiencing the devastating effects of these policies, due to the trauma associated with being separated from their families. It's time that as a nation we do better to learn about, preserve, promote and respect First Nations peoples and to understand the culture in ways that are meaningful to us as Australians, and it's time for all here to commit to action on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. I would encourage all in this place and in the community to inform themselves about this part of our history and to continue our collective journey of learning and understanding our history.

I would like to pay tribute to World War II veteran Major Sidney Norman Penhaligon, who, sadly, died on 5 March. Sid had an interesting life. He left school in the middle of the Depression at the age of 14 and worked in a local grocery shop, cycling a return trip of 25 kilometres every day. With Australia at war, in 1941 Sid enlisted at the age of 17. Sid's family does not know how this was achieved, given that the minimum entry age was 20. He met his wife, Marie, in 1943, and they married the next year.

After the war, Sid had several jobs and completed a two-year course in wool classing. When national service was reintroduced in the early 1950s, Sid re-enlisted and went on to have a long career in the Army that spanned more than 33 years. He had numerous postings over the years and had operational service in Japan, Korea and South Vietnam. In 1972 he was granted a commission as a lieutenant, and in 1978 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his service as the administration officer at the Joint Services Staff College. Sid was very proud that there had been a Penhaligon involved in every major conflict since the Boer War, and he was thrilled when his granddaughter Deirdre joined the Army Reserve.

After being discharged from the Army with the rank of major, he became the secretary manager of the Royal Canberra Golf Club and later worked at Parliament House with the Department of the House of Representatives. During this time, he was given the task of planning the move from the old to the new Parliament House, a job described as is most challenging.

Sid had a keen sense of social responsibility that was reflected in his active involvement with the Masons, the Probus Club of Weston, the RSL, Saint Peter's Church at Weston, the Artillery Association and various community groups. Over many years, including when Sid was over 80, he was still involved with feeding the homeless. He was one of the original foundation members who provided a financial guarantee to enable the building of St Peter's Church at Weston.

At his funeral, his daughter Michele described her father as a person of energy who had a positive outlook on life. She said that his family, his Christian faith and the Army's cultural and ethical values were the pivots around which his life revolved. She said, 'If you look up a definition of goodness, it's about character, integrity, honesty, generosity, moral courage and the like. My father had all this and more. He lived his life with love, with dignity, with passion and with pride. He was a proud Australian, and the extended Penhaligon family loved, respected and admired him.' I would like to thank Sid for his dedication, service and sacrifice for our country. I would also like to express my sincere condolences to his family and join in celebrating a remarkable life.