Legislative Assembly Tuesday, 21 December 1999 THE SPEAKER (Mr Strickland) took the Chair at 10.00 am, and read prayers. HUTCHINSON, SIR ROSS Condolence Motion MR COURT (Nedlands - Premier) [10.06 am]: I move - That the House records its sincere regret at the death of Sir Ross Hutchinson and tenders its deep sympathy to his family. The recent passing of Sir Ross Hutchinson brings great personal sadness to me and my family, especially my father who regarded Sir Ross as a close friend. Sir Ross Hutchinson was a wonderful husband, father, colleague, friend and sportsman who will be greatly missed. However, his memory will live on in the lasting contribution he made to this great State. As I will outline, Sir Ross was a truly remarkable man. He was born at Worsley on 10 September 1914, the son of Albert Herbert Hutchinson, a railway guard and timber mill worker, and Agnes Lillian May Mowday. Sir Ross married Amy Goodall Strang on 8 May 1939 at St John's Church in Fremantle. He is survived by his wife, Amy, and his children, Ross and Gail. Sir Ross was educated at Deanmill and Wesley College before undertaking odd jobs in Deanmill in 1934. He was a teaching monitor at Deanmill from 1934 to 1935 and at South Terrace School from 1935 to 1936 before studying at teachers college and beginning a career as a teacher in 1936. He served at Beaconsfield, Richmond and Claremont until 1941. Sir Ross Hutchinson enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force on 29 March 1942. He trained at Cunderdin and Geraldton before serving overseas as a Royal Air Force bomber pilot in the 578 squadron in the United Kingdom from 1943 to 1945. He served in India during 1945 before being discharged in October of that year with the rank of flight lieutenant. Sir Ross was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944. Once discharged, he returned and taught at Claremont High School from 1945 to 1950. Sir Ross Hutchinson joined the Liberal Party in 1947 and stood unsuccessfully for the South Province electorate in that year before being elected as the first member for Cottesloe on 25 March 1950 - an electorate he served in this House for 27 years. The seat of Cottesloe was created for the 1950 election and Sir Ross won it comfortably with just under 60 per cent of the vote and he had no trouble holding the seat in eight subsequent elections. Sir Ross was a minister throughout the term of the Brand Government, holding the portfolios of Chief Secretary and Minister for Health and Fisheries and Fauna from 1959 to 1965 and was Minister for Works and Water Supplies from 1965 to 1971. Sir Ross Hutchinson served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1974 to 1977 - that was during the first term of the Government led by my father. Sir Ross retired from Parliament in 1977 and was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen for his service to Western Australia and the community. Sir Ross also served the Parliament in this House as a Deputy Chairman of Committees from 1956 to 1957 and as a member of the Printing Committee from 1950 to 1959. In 1950, he was a member of the select committee inquiring into the ways and means of obtaining adequate meat supplies for the people of Western Australia. He was also a member of the select committee inquiring into the Perpetual Executors Trustees and Agency Company Limited and the Western Australia Trustee Executor and Agency Company Limited Acts Amendment (Private) Bills in 1955. Sir Ross also represented the Western Australian branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association at the Australasian regional conference in Adelaide in 1977. In addition to all that, Sir Ross was a keen sportsman and played district football for Jardee in 1934, and then league football from 1935 to 1939, serving as captain-coach from 1936 to 1939, being part of the teams that won two premierships, and the team that was defeated in a grand final replay in 1939. He was non-playing coach for the West Perth Football Club from 1940 to 1941, which won one premiership, and captain-coach of the West Perth Football Club in 1946 and South Fremantle Football Club from 1947 to 1949, which teams won two premierships in 1947 and 1948. He was captain-coach of the state football team in 1939, and its coach in 1948. I cannot believe any person could coach so many winning teams successfully. He must have been a good politician, especially when it came to his saying in this Parliament which team he supported in the competition! That is an outstanding record. To add to this, he served as a member of the teachers union from 1937 to 1950, as a member of the Fremantle Hospital Board for two years, and as a member of the Kings Park Board in 1978, its deputy president in 1998, and its president from 1981 to 1984. All in all, he achieved much in his life. On behalf of the members of this House, I extend our deepest sympathy to Sir Ross' wife, Amy, and his two children, Ross and Gail, and their families. DR GALLOP (Victoria Park - Leader of the Opposition) [10.11 am]: On behalf of members of the State Opposition, I join with the Premier in recording the sincere regret of this Parliament on the death of Sir Ross Hutchinson, and offer our sympathy to his family. Sir Ross was a member of the Legislative Assembly for 27 years from 1950 to 1977, and was the inaugural member for Cottesloe. He had a long and distinguished parliamentary career, and as well as being the Chief Secretary, had responsibility for a number of portfolios over the years, including Health, Water Supplies, Works, and Fisheries and Fauna. He also served on various parliamentary committees. 4204 [ASSEMBLY] Sir Ross served as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1974 until his retirement in 1977. In that year, he was knighted for services to Western Australia and the community. After his time in Parliament, he served on the Kings Park Board and was the board's president from 1981 to 1984. As the Premier has already described, the many achievements of Sir Ross were not confined to this Parliament: During the Second World War, he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force, served overseas and received the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944. On his discharge, Sir Ross returned to teaching until being elected to Parliament in 1950. He was a keen sportsman and had many significant achievements on the football field, including being part of the East Fremantle, West Perth and South Fremantle football teams that won five premierships. He was also captain-coach of the state football team in 1939, and its coach in 1948. The Opposition recognises his distinguished career both inside and outside the State Parliament. Our deepest sympathy is with his family at this time. MR COWAN (Merredin - Minister for Commerce and Trade) [10.13 am]: I join with the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition in expressing condolence to the family of Sir Ross Hutchinson. It is always very difficult to make a judgment about an individual when he is in the twilight of his parliamentary career; however, Sir Ross Hutchinson was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly when I first entered this place. In those days, the fairness of this man became quite apparent. There were no technical aids which assisted the Speaker to determine the remaining time members had within which to complete their speeches, and the judgment about whether members would, or would not, have to sit down because their time had expired was left entirely to the Speaker. In that respect, in three years, I never heard any members dispute with the Speaker at the time - Sir Ross Hutchinson - whether they had been short-changed. I might also add, he did not have the benefit of the relay that seems to take place often now, when the Deputy Speaker and Acting Speakers are given an opportunity to take a place in the Speaker's chair, to maintain control over the House. In those days that responsibility was thrust very much upon the Speaker, and Sir Ross discharged those responsibilities meticulously, scrupulously and fairly. Undoubtedly, he was a Speaker who commanded great respect from everyone in Parliament. As stated by both the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition, that integrity and fairness was displayed throughout Sir Ross Hutchinson's career, as a minister and as an athlete and sportsman on the football field. With my National Party colleagues, I join the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition in expressing condolences to the family of the late Sir Ross Hutchinson. MR BARNETT (Cottesloe - Leader of the House) [10.16 am]: On all counts, Sir Ross Hutchinson was an outstanding Australian and, indeed, an outstanding Western Australian. He represented the seat of Cottesloe and is much loved and highly respected by his constituents to this day. None of us could imagine emulating the career of Sir Ross Hutchinson which covered a variety of areas; namely, his distinguished war service, his career in education, his sporting achievements and a long parliamentary career of 27 years, including contesting eight elections for the seat of Cottesloe. I join with previous speakers in expressing deep sympathy to his family. I know well Sir Ross' son, Ross, who contributes greatly to the community; that is, to schools in the district and to a variety of worthwhile causes and associations. Sir Ross made an outstanding contribution to this State and Parliament as a member, minister and Speaker in a long and distinguished career.