The Hon. PENNY SHARPE [3.52 p.m.]: Today I mark the sad passing
of Trevor Davies. Today a community—a community in the truest
sense—gathered at Pitt Street Uniting Church to bid farewell to Trevor
Edward Davies. At the young age of just 55, Trevor died on 14 June 2011
of a heart attack. His devastated family spoke of a beloved brother and
an uncle they cherished; a man quick with a joke and with a long and
infectious laugh. They told how as a teenager he had tried to revive his
father after he suffered a fatal asthmatic attack. They told of his
undying love for his mother. They told of a man who always had something
interesting to say, just as he was always able to listen to the stories
of others. They told how Trevor wagged school to listen to the Federal
election and how he started his first newspaper at high school. Trevor
was a man whose faith was unshakable and whose care of others was
unlimited.
His friends talked of Trevor as the man who knows everyone. He was a man
who involved himself in the community of Darlington, Chippendale and
Redfern in a way that knitted people together. Trevor was someone who
enriched everyone by the simple act of reaching out to others and
bringing them together to work for the common good of their own
community. His friends talked of someone who truly loved his neighbours
as he loved himself.
Trevor Davies was the founder and co-editor of the South Sydney Herald. The South Sydney Herald
started its life as the newsletter of the local Labor Party with a
distribution of 5,000 one-page photocopies. Trevor, in partnership with
the South Sydney Parish of the Uniting Church, grew this little
newsletter into a full colour, 16-page independent newspaper produced
every month and delivered to 22,000 households. It is made by the
community for the community. Every month more than 450 hours of
volunteer work go into producing it. Trevor’s death has been described
as leaving a Trevor-sized hole at the paper. I am, however, confident
that the community built around the South Sydney Herald will be able to continue with this unique and vital community publication.
Trevor Davies was an elder of the South Sydney Uniting Church, the
founder of REDWatch, a management committee member of a number of local
community organisations, including South Sydney Community Transport and
the Settlement. He even managed to become the Protestant vice president
of the Erskineville St Vincent de Paul Society. For Trevor Davies faith
and politics were two sides of the same coin. Trevor had been the
secretary of the Darlington branch of the Labor Party for longer than
anyone can remember. Trevor worked for Labor at every local, State and
Federal election for the last 30 years. He was committed to Labor in the
finest of traditions. While his commitment was rock solid, it did not
mean that his support was unconditional. Trevor encouraged debate. He
was prepared to be inclusive of others, even if they were not members or
supporters of the Labor Party.
Trevor was fearless in his pursuit of what he considered to be the right
thing for his community, be it a compassionate approach to refugees,
the need for a local community centre, or indeed fixing a street chair
so that people in his community could rest on their way to the shops.
One of the great contributions Trevor made was his passionate campaign
to gain Government support for the redevelopment of The Block at
Redfern. The Pemulwuy Project he fought for alongside the Aboriginal
Housing Company is now a reality. Trevor unashamedly backed the
underdogs and spoke out at injustice when he saw it. I would like to
share one of my favourite quotes from Trevor. He said this when he was a
candidate for the City of Sydney in 2008:
The great thing about working class people is that you can’t piss on them from up high.
His Labor family will miss him terribly. One of his oldest and dearest
friends, Dorothy McRae-McMahon, wrote this poem for Trevor and I would
like to share it:
The local legend
There he was,
in his favourite café,
with life unfolding around him,
engaging with everyone as they passed
and sharing the latest.
And then he was gone,
as suddenly as a bright red autumn leaf
falling off a tree in the wind.
We looked around,
unable to imagine life without him,
he who knew everyone
and gathered us all together in his knowing.
Plod, plod, plod, he went,
pulling his trolley behind him
as he delivered his papers to the community
and kept checking
to see that we all did the same with our bundles.
Then he was mixing with
the state and country’s leaders,
standing on the ground for what he believed,
a faithful representative
of his Party and the people.
“Do you vote Labor?” he asked the doctors
in the hospital emergency ward.
“Jesus loves you anyway” he reassured them
as they wondered what to say.
Such a mixture of determination
and vulnerability he was.
A “one-off”,
and yet a man of the people.
Such love and passion you leave behind you,
Trevor Davies.
No-one can replace you,
but maybe your kindly spirit
will travel on among those who have known you.
Rest in peace, dear friend.
Jesus does indeed love you forever,
and so do we.
Vale Trevor Davies.
Source: www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20110623052