Mr DEAN (Windermere) - I take the opportunity to congratulate Ruth, the member for Murchison on her successful reappointment to this House and getting through without any problems. I would have liked to have done the same thing but I could not manage that. Well done.

Ms Forrest - I did dispatch one earlier on.

Members laughing.

Mr DEAN - You have worked very hard in that time and very clearly it showed through, so well done.

MEMBER CONTESTING RE-ELECTION

I wish the Minster for Police, Lin, all the very best in her race that is coming up. I am quite confident that she will get through as well. She has certainly worked very hard and would be deserving of that. There is no doubt about that. She is certainly a good person.

RETIREMENT OF MEMBER FOR LAUNCESTON

I want to say that Roey from Hansard asked that I pass on her kindest regards to you, Don, for what you have done. She said that she has been away a number of times on select committees with you. I think she said Road Safety.

Mr Wing - Yes.

Mr DEAN - She asked me to pass that on and I do that. It is good to see Suzanne and Eric here this afternoon as well. They are very strong and loyal supporters of yours and have worked very hard for you in the time that I have known you.

Mr Wing - Indeed.

Mr DEAN - I remember when I first came into this House, Don was then the member for Paterson. He was never really happy with being the member for Paterson and pretty quickly brought that -

Ms Forrest - I think it was the name.

Mr DEAN - You are right; just the name. He was never really happy about it. To finish up with, that was changed and he became the member for Launceston and I think it was certainly more apt and a good change that occurred at that time.

Mr Parkinson - At the same time they changed Wellington back to Hobart. Don and I teed up both those changes.

Mr DEAN - I see; it was good to see those changes. When I first entered this arena, Don was the President. When I first came here I was feeling quite uncomfortable but the support that I got from Don was incredible - the way that he explained things, the way he went about things. It helped me to start off in this House at that time. The way he saw things, explained things. He is a wonderful person, in my view. I want to go back a little. I do not know whether Don recalls this or not but I got to know him when I was the Commander of Police in the northern part of the State. It was not because I had cause to meet him as a police officer as such for doing bad things.

Members laughing.

Mr Wilkinson - What was he like in interview?

Members laughing.

Mr DEAN - Not easy. It was when he raised the subject with me of volunteer policing and we had a discussion about it.

Mrs Taylor - Only one occasion.

Mr DEAN - That was when I was Commander of Police but there has been a lot of discussion since then.

Mr Finch - Did he suggest you give up your career and become a volunteer?

Members laughing.

Mr DEAN - I support him in that position. The member for Western Tiers mentioned the fact that there would probably be a fight between the other two northern members to see who occupies the top position in Henty House. I assure you I do not think that there will be much of a fight because, with the greatest respect to the member for Rosevears, I do not think that either of us could fill those boots the way Don did in that position.

Mr Finch - Alphabetically you are leading at this stage.

Members laughing.

Mr DEAN - Alphabetically I might get there. I want to thank Don for the advice that he was always offering and for putting me on the straight and narrow in a number of cases. I do very much appreciate that and the way it was done. It was very important to me. I recall a number of the select committees that we went on and particularly the select committee in relation to road safety. There are two issues I remember. One was when we were in Melbourne and the temperature was 40 degrees. It was horrendous.

Ms Forrest - They were playing tennis.

Mr DEAN - It just so happened that the Australian Open was on. We were on our way back from Geelong and we were quite frazzled, very hot, and I wanted to go off to a different area because I was not coming back into Melbourne and Don was running late for an appointment, a special dinner, and I do not think that he was really happy with me wanting to take the bus out of its way to drop me off. I apologise for that. I also recall another occasion, and I am not sure what it was for, but we went down to the Port Arthur area on one occasion. There were three of us in the vehicle and I should not mention who the other person was but I remember when we got back here Don's very strong position on driving and being very careful in the way that he drives, with hands on the steering wheel and all of those other things.

Mr Wilkinson - That was a good start.

Members laughing.

Mr DEAN - I remember getting out of the car at Tattersall's Park and Don looking around at me and quipping, 'I am going to have to learn to drive one-handed and at the same time talk to the passenger in the rear' and something else, but I cannot remember what else, 'all at the one time'. It was interesting the way that he was talking about it when he was chairing the road safety committee.

People have mentioned Don's sense of humour already. I for one was taken in on many occasions and I never really knew whether he was having a lend of me or whether he was being serious. He caught me out so many times. On one occasion things were pretty tense in the mayoral race and I was there and Don came along and grabbed me and told me to come on into his office. He made a telephone call and said I will prove it to you that this is right.

Mr Wing - About being mayor?

Mr DEAN - Yes. A telephone call to the electoral office.

Mr Wing - Then I had to give you a whisky so you would settle down.

Mr DEAN - That is right. I recall those occasions. I recall those occasions, and the member for Rosevears would as well, when of an evening we would be asked along to Don's office to discuss some parliamentary matters over a wee drop and we certainly will miss those occasions as well. It was just really great.

Ms Rattray - Just go up to Don's house.

Mr DEAN - Pardon?

Ms Forrest - One of you can sit up at the plate.

Mr DEAN - As I have said I have enjoyed the support of Don, not only in this position, but also in other positions I have occupied like my position as an alderman where he has often come and given me advice and support in these areas as well.

Don thinks he is retiring but he is not really because he is also the chairman of the Tree Committee and I would hope that he continues in that position with the Launceston City Council. I am on that committee as well so he has not finished yet. He still has work to do and I am very confident he will continue to do a great job in relation to that.

His breadth of knowledge is absolutely vast and I was only talking to another person in another place at lunchtime, the Speaker of another place. I quipped when Don goes and when you go, the amount of knowledge that will be lost to this place will be absolutely vast. Not only electorate knowledge but also State knowledge, country knowledge and world knowledge, about the parliaments of the world. Don is able to talk about that in just about any area and it is just incredible that he has that vast amount of knowledge. It will certainly be missed but unfortunately I do not think Don will get away and relax as much as he likes.

I am quite sure that the media will hound him and they will be seeking his advice moving forward. He has not offered yet but I would like to have the opportunity to make contact with him occasionally.

Mr Wing - Any time you are very welcome.

Mr DEAN - That would be most enjoyable. Not only is Don a gentleman, as one member said a true gentleman and a great man, he is also an extremely caring person. Sometimes you do not expect that in a person perhaps, a male in particular, females are more likely to do it but -

Mr Wilkinson - Speak for yourself.

Members laughing.

Mr Gaffney - That is utter rubbish, Madam President.

Mr DEAN - He is so caring. Last night some would recall that we had some oysters that really were not all that good. When I left, there was some discussion about it and I got home and at about half past nine at night the phone rang and Don was on the phone wanting to know how I was feeling, whether or not the oysters were starting to work. Well, they were starting to work.

Members laughing.

Mr Wing - I think you misunderstood my question.

Mr DEAN - I probably should not go into that any more but the fact is that he was concerned enough to ring to see how things were. He was talking about food poisoning and said that if anything happened, I needed to go off and get an injection et cetera. It is just the sort of person that he is - always thinking about and always caring about others. He is just an incredible person. Don, I wish you a long, healthy and happy retirement.

Mr Gaffney - Did he order the oysters for you?

Members laughing.

Mr DEAN - No. No, he did not. I ordered the oysters. I wish Don a long, healthy and happy retirement from politics. I know that he will spend some time on his property up the back of Ulverstone and I am aware that he is carrying out some works on his house at the present time and I have a connection to that area as well. In fact my son has a property not far away so no doubt I will catch up with Don from time to time when he is up in that area.

Don, thank you for everything you have done. You have been an exceptional person in my view and I certainly will miss you in this place, in the office, and wherever else. I must say at this present time I do not think I am all that obese.

Mr Wing - No.

Mr DEAN - Anyway, there is another story about that and I will not go into it other than the fact that some member said they could not pass by me now because my stomach stuck out. I will not tell you who it was, though, and of course Mr Wing took that up.

Well done, Don, and thank you very much for everything you have done for me and for the country.