Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to pay tribute to a very longstanding friend of the Liberal Party in Tasmania who, unfortunately, left us over the weekend. Christopher Thomas Shacklock, known to us in the Liberal Party as Tom, passed away at the age of 87 over the weekend. Tom was a longstanding member of the Liberal Party in Tasmania, firstly in the seat of Lyons. He represented the Lyons electorate at state executive for many years with his offsider Reuben Radford. The sight of Tom and Reuben turning up to state executive meetings is something that we all recall, and their double act in defence of the agricultural sector is something that we all recall very fondly. He then moved to the electorate of Braddon and he was a member of the Devonport city branch—a branch that I'm a member of—for many, many years. Again, he was a branch delegate to electorate meetings and to state executive. The state council meeting this year was the first he had missed for many years, whether that be representing Lyons or Braddon.

Of course, he was a terrier at election times. Tom looked after our election signs and had that level of dedication where he would do the rounds of the signs in Devonport every morning to make sure they were still where they'd been the day before. If they weren't, he'd put them back up, repair them or replace them before most of the town were out of bed so that when everyone drove past the next morning the signs would be where they were supposed to be. He was recognised by the party for his work with a meritorious service award, which is a national award bestowed by the Liberal Party, in 2002, and he won the Braddon shield for his efforts in 2015.

He was not just a Liberal man—although he was pretty well known for that—he was a strong advocate in his community. Senator Ciccone was just talking about the forestry industry and the paper industry. Tom was a very passionate supporter of the forestry industry and the paper industry in Australia.

Tom would ring us with his opinions at all hours. If Tom had something he wanted to tell you, he'd ring and say it, and it didn't really matter what time it was. I recall when the RFA legislation passed in 2004, very early in the morning. I thought, 'Here's the opportunity to get one back on Tom.' So I rang him at four o'clock in the morning to tell him that the RFA legislation had passed, expecting that I might get some reaction. The reaction I got was one of delight. Tom was absolutely delighted that he was so important that he had to know, before anyone else who wasn't in Canberra, that the legislation had passed. He could start his rounds very early in the morning to pass the message on.

I was very privileged when Tom and his wife, Jean, asked me to confer Australian citizenship on them. He organised that at the Axeman's Hall of Fame in Latrobe. He was an absolute terrier in ensuring that facility got built; it was something that he was extremely proud of.

He was also very big in the agricultural sector. He was very proud of his stud cattle that he showed at the local agricultural shows. He was a real community advocate, someone who worked hard in the community. He was a man of strong faith, a faith that he shared with his wife, Jean, who passed away a few years ago. We were really sad to lose Tom. He was a loyal family man, and, most of all, he was a very good friend to us all.

I'd like to extend my condolences and those of my branch and party members in Tasmania to his daughter Angela and her husband, John; to his daughter Virginia and her husband, Gerhard; to his daughter Rebecca; to his son, Paris, who is also a strong contributor to the Liberal Party; and to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We've lost a strong and sound Liberal. Tom is back with Jean. May they both rest in peace. I'm sure they're keeping an eye on us all.