Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (15:53): I rise to pay my respects to Bill Nankivell who was the member, essentially, for the seat that I now hold, the seat of Hammond. As has been stated, Bill was born in Mount Gambier in 1923 and held land at Willalooka, but he also had land at Geranium up in the Mallee, which is quite fitting for the name of his seat later on.
Bill was elected in 1959 to the seat of Albert, and then he was re-elected another seven times in 20 years. You would think they must have had a passion for elections back then. He had eight elections he faced off in that time, going from Albert to the seat of Mallee, and then obviously retiring in 1979. The seat then became Ridley and then the seat of Hammond. It is interesting to note there has only been one member between Bill and I, and that was Peter Lewis.
I was privileged to meet Bill, and I wish I had met with Bill more, especially when I met him at his 100th birthday last year. I met him twice that I can recall; there may have been other times. I remember meeting him here as a primary school student over 50 years ago when he gave me and my class from Coomandook a tour of the parliament, and I certainly did not have the passion at all at that early age to be a politician.
As the leader has said, it was so great to see Bill on the occasion of his centenary and to see his sharpness of mind. I thought he was going to be with us for a much longer time because he was still driving, as the leader said. He was very articulate and I thought, 'Wow, Bill, you're a true legend,' as he was when he served his country as a leading aircraftsman during World War II. Along with his friend Roger Goldsworthy, they classed themselves as parliamentarians not politicians.
To his family, his friends and the people who served with him I pay my condolences. He will be sadly missed. He made a great contribution over 100 years not just to this state but to agriculture and to his family. Vale Bill Nankivell.
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