Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In recent weeks in the Berowra community we've had the opportunity to welcome Andrew Kyrios to be the new Anglican minister at Cherrybrook Anglican Church and to farewell Reverend Geoff Smith, who has concluded 11 years as the minister at Galston Uniting. Freedom of worship is central to who we are as Australians, and it's always a joy to share with communities of faith as they celebrate a moment in their life together.

Geoff Smith is a particularly special fellow. Not only has he served the Galston Uniting Church community, but he's been so much more than just the minister. He's been a mentor to young people. He's been a great football coach. He's chaired the local child care and steered it through the difficult period of COVID-19. He's involved himself with myriad community activities, from the Galston schools to the Anzac Day commemorations to the Galston concerts. He's made an outsized contribution to our community. People across our community will miss Geoff, with his big heart, his warmth, his kindness and his desire to see the church as a place that's integrated and connected to community. On behalf of everyone in the Berowra community, I wish Geoff well as he moves to live and serve in Parramatta.

We're fortunate to welcome Reverend Andrew Kyrios and his family to Cherrybrook Anglican, and I look forward to spending time with Andrew and building a friendship with him over the years ahead. Cherrybrook Anglican is a very different sort of a church. It's a church community without a building. They meet in the Cherrybrook community centre or the Cherrybrook sports house. Andrew comes to Cherrybrook Anglican after several years at San Souci, and many of his former parishioners at San Souci gave the GPS a good workout finding the way from San Souci to Cherrybrook to see him installed in his new role. Andrew was installed by the Reverend Chris Edwards, the Bishop of North Sydney. He's the first rector I've ever known who's got an economics degree—I'm sure the church books will be well-balanced! Not only does he come to serve the community but he brings his beautiful family: his wife Sally and their four children, George, Thomas, Anastasia and Theo. On behalf of our community, I welcome Andrew and his family to our beautiful part of Sydney.

I want to take a moment to honour all the faith leaders of our community. I have 73 churches, temples or mosques in the electorate, and I'm grateful to all the men and women who choose to serve, often at cost, particularly in a time when communities of faith are perhaps less understood than they once were, although no less important. I'm also grateful for the congregations they lead. Whenever we speak of the good things churches bring, we sometimes speak of their volunteers, their sense of service and the ways they offer a helping hand in times of crisis. We're right to consider these things. But I also think we should talk more about their understanding of the value of human life and the beauty of faith itself. Communities of faith understand human dignity, that every life has meaning and that we're more than the sum of our possessions. I think the diversity of our faith communities and their strength in the Berowra community is one of the fundamental things that makes Berowra such a wonderful place to live. It's always, for me as a Jewish Australian, such a privilege to involve myself in these special days of both welcoming and farewelling people in the Christian denominations who have made such an important contribution to our community.