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Tribute to Mrs Lois Joyce Loughnan, OAM

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-111855

Hansard session: Fifty-Seventh Parliament, First Session (57-1)


Tribute to Mrs Lois Joyce Loughnan, OAM

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (19:39):of a local legend, Mrs Lois Joyce Loughnan, OAM. Lois, who passed away on 30 April this year, was a much-loved member of our community.Fittingly, a memorial service was conducted at All Saints' Oatley West Anglican Church, a parish to which Lois gave so much. Even in her retirement Lois was ever-reliable in running the seniors ministry and in many ways thatwas indicative of her life. Much of her brilliant 95 years were dedicated to others. I had the honour of knowing Lois personally when we sat on the board of Mortdale Community Services, now known as Jubilee Community Services, and even then Lois' kind heart, hard work and reliability was obvious to all of us.

:07 With a heavy heart I inform the House of the passing

In Lois' role with Jubilee Community Services her passion for helping the community was evident. In fact her work was influential in providing a range of specialised services to vulnerable members of our local community. Lois helped lay the foundations for programs which still exist today, including aged‑care services programs, children services, mental health services, family services and community services. She was also passionate about education. She was involved in facilitating classes and groups that taught valuable skills to members of the community. In this sense Lois' legacy will live on well beyond her years. It is important that we honour her memory and never forget her contribution.

Recently I stumbled across an article written in 2003 after Lois had received her OAM. The article, which was published on the Sydney Anglicans' website, was titled "God's workers bear fruit." Sitting at the top of the article is the name Mrs Lois Loughnan, OAM. It acknowledges her work in helping to found Georges River Community Care with other Christians in the 1970s and her ongoing commitment to the organisation's management committee. At the time Lois was almost 80 years old. I would say that her loved ones may have been telling her to slow down but slowing down was never in Lois' blood.

Lois was a woman of service and reliability. In my opinion that is one of the most honourable legacies a person can have.Although circumstances prevented us from physically attending, Icould not help but be moved by the readings of the memorial service. One reading in particular stood out to me. "Hearing God's Words" comes from Psalms 116:1-19. In essence, it is about servitude and readily serving others. Lois was a woman of strong faith through word, but it was her actions that truly proved a dedication to the community, particularly to those less fortunate.

I said earlier that Lois leaves behind a community that will be weaker for its loss; however, it would be remiss of me to not acknowledge the people who Lois loved most.If I may quote Lois' obituary, she was the much‑loved wife of John, mother of Ian, Wendy and Sue, mother-in-law of Sue and Keith, grandmother of Ruth, Marion, James, John, Hugh, Alice, Tom, Harriet and Hal and of their partners, Claire, Reece, Will and Mel and great-grandmother of Annaliese, Liam, Chloe, Frankie, Jesse, Keira, Eliot, Maddison and Penny.Like the community, I am sure that Lois' absence leaves a hole in her family. But, also like the community, it is my hope that her legacy has inspired those around her. On behalf of the community and members of this House I thank the late great Mrs Lois Joyce Loughnan, OAM, for the service she has given us, the lessons she has taught us and the memories she has made with us. May Lois rest in peace and may her legacy be honoured forever.