Valedictories
04/12/2014
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: Very briefly, on behalf of Dignity for Disability, I extend my thanks to all the people who have supported the party and myself throughout the year, the chamber staff, all of you, and especially, of course, Jan Davis, again celebrating her 50 years in this place. I do not want to labour the point too strongly, but that is just under two of my entire lifetimes.
Members interjecting:
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: No, I am saying that in a good way, I am not trying to rub it in. Work with me here, I am trying to be festive! I would like to not only pay tribute to Jan’s extreme loyalty, breadth of knowledge and dedicated service but also to the fact that she has not gone down without a fight in this place. Jan has been an amazing example of the strength of a woman, a young woman in particular, when she first came into this place.
I think my favourite example of that was when she took this job and she was told not to get engaged for—what was it, five years? And you did anyway, Jan. You were afraid of revealing that fact, but you marched into this place with your engagement ring proudly displayed on your finger and you rolled with the punches. From then on, you have become stronger and stronger by the day, it seems. We certainly congratulate you yet again on that amazing achievement over the last 50 years.
To all our members and supporters, a big thank you for enabling us to continue what we do. To my staff: Anna, Cathi, David and Sana, who has recently joined us; and of course, my thanks go on the record to my previous trainee, Lesley Gable, who recently left us, and we wish her all the best. This has been a year of significant achievement for Dignity for Disability, particularly, I think, in the areas of disability justice and making the voting system and democracy more accessible to people with disabilities.
Obviously we have faced some disappointments. I think one key example has been the government’s lack of recognition of the need for more support for people with borderline personality disorder diagnoses. This is an issue that existed long before I started fighting for it in this place, and it will continue to exist, so we will continue to fight for adequate services and support for those people currently going without it.
Of course, the unmet needs list remains a significant area of concern. These are people waiting for basic services and basic supports that they need to get on with their lives, perhaps even to leave the house or to avoid being homeless or at risk of harm to themselves or to others. This is something I say not to drag down the tone of the speech, but just to remind ourselves that we do have a lot of work to get done when we come back. I, for one, look forward to doing that work.
The last point I would like to make is just a personal thank you to those members who have supported me and my family, particularly through the death of my mother-in-law, Rita, earlier this year. I know that I myself and my family and my partner, Nick, are particularly grateful for the respect and support that were shown to us at that difficult time. Having acknowledged that, though, I do have some happy news, in that as soon as I finish this speech and go to one more function, I get to go to hospital to meet my new nephew.
The Hon. S.G. Wade: Name him!
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: He doesn’t have a name yet! As soon as he does, I will let you know. It is a bittersweet day for us in the family. Thank you all for your support throughout that issue as well. Again, thanks to all the chamber staff: Mario, Anthony, Todd, Jan in particular, Guy, Leslie, Karen, Chris, and especially Mario, who brings me lots of water and makes sure that I am always well hydrated for all those lengthy speeches and long nights. I do not think I have ever in fact finished a glass of water in this place; it never gets below halfway point before Mario jumps in there. Thank you to you all, both professionally and personally, for the support that you have given me throughout the year.
