Pat Boyd
Mr STAIKOS (Bentleigh) (10:01): I rise to pay tribute to my dear friend Pat Boyd, who passed away at the end of last year. I first met Pat when I joined the committee of management of Godfrey Street Community House back in 2009, and I have honestly struggled to think of another person who has shaped the community house as remarkably as Pat. Pat arrived at Godfrey Street in 1986 and started working in the childcare centre, which she did for 20 years. The community house had not long been established and the childcare centre as we know it today had not even been built—it was operating out of a filled-in back verandah—but it was Pat’s warmth, care and generosity that made those substandard facilities back then a very welcoming place. When she finished in the childcare centre in 2006 she remained an active volunteer, and I would pick Pat up from her home every month to drive her to committee meetings and enjoyed our chats about various things, including how much Bentleigh had changed over the years as well as hearing Pat’s words of wisdom on life. I do not think anybody loved Godfrey Street Community House more than Pat did, and she gave more than 30 years to the community house. Pat was also a passionate animal lover. I remember her telling me that she could never eat pork again after watching the film Babe. I am going to miss Pat greatly. Vale, Pat Boyd.