Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I pay tribute to Norman Henry Kruger, who died at 93 years of age. I was pleased and proud to have spoken at his eulogy at his funeral. I want to pay my deepest condolences to his wife Jan and his daughter Leanne. Norm was a wonderful servant of the Labor Party. He was a member of the party for 66 years and the first person I voted for as a councillor in the Ipswich City Council. He lived around the corner from Des Freeman, who became the mayor in 1979. Norm was the youngest councillor in Queensland in the Pine Rivers area and then moved with his job as corrective services to Ipswich. He then was actively involved in Ipswich politics, particularly in the local Labor Party. He was a councillor for division 4.

He was a brilliant orator and raconteur who was quite dapper. He liked the grey suits and the floral ties in the likes of Al Grassby and Paul Keating. He was a fantastic local councillor. He was more like a pastor and priest and a person like that. He was there to help people. In his retirement days, I used to call him the mayor of Marburg. I enjoyed catching up with him, and he would speak to you as loudly one on one as you would speak to a whole group of people. I raise my voice in deliberate honour of Norm. The outpouring of love, respect and admiration for Norm across the Ispwich community is there for all to see. He left us with beautiful memories. Thank you, Norm.