Page21 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 2 December 2020
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Wednesday, 2 December 2020
MADAM SPEAKER (Ms Burch) (10.00): Members:
Dhawura nguna, dhawura Ngunnawal.
Yanggu ngalawiri, dhunimanyin Ngunnawalwari dhawurawari.
Nginggada Dindi dhawura Ngunnaawalbun yindjumaralidjinyin.
The words I have just spoken are in the language of the traditional custodians and translate to:
This is Ngunnawal country.
Today we are gathering on Ngunnawal country.
We always pay respect to Elders, female and male, and Ngunnawal country.
Members, I ask you to stand in silence and pray or reflect on our responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.
Mr Lou Westende
Motion of condolence
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Climate Action, Minister for Economic Development and Minister for Tourism) (10.02): I move:
That this Assembly expresses its sorrow at the passing of former MLA Mr Lou Westende and tenders its profound sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues in their bereavement.
I rise on behalf of the government to express great sadness at the passing of former member of the Assembly Mr Laurus Vant Westende OAM, known by most in Canberra as Lou Westende.
Mr Westende was born on 28 November 1925 and passed away on 28 August 2020, aged 94. Mr Westende was married to Mandy Thomas-Westende. They had three children—Dave, Tim and Karen—and he was a much-loved opa to Tiffany, Gemma, Lana, Jarrah, Reilly and Andy.
Mr Westende grew up in the Netherlands during the Depression and the German occupation. He spent three years in Indonesia with the Netherlands marines. This gave him a sense of freedom and personal independence.
He migrated to Australia and, soon after, joined Addressograph Multigraph, a company which produced addressing and duplicating machines. It was here that Mr Westende gained the knowledge and confidence to later start one of Canberra’s early business successes, Instant Office Furniture, or IOF. Mr Westende and his wife built IOF into a national company with more than 300 employees.
In mid-1971 Mr Westende introduced an innovative idea—Canberra’s first self-service stationery business. His business continued to grow and was relocated to a
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