Tuesday, 13 August 2019

Tony Iremonger

Mr T SMITH (Kew) (13:14): I rise to express my sincere sorrow at the death of my good friend and Liberal Party member Tony Iremonger, who passed away way too young at the age of 58. Tony joined the Liberal Party in 2010. He was a stalwart of the party and had a deep understanding and commitment to the Liberal values of choice and self-reliance. Tony was a tireless and dedicated supporter of the Liberal cause over many years, not only in Kew but of course in Kooyong and in the Victorian division generally. Tony was secretary of the North Balwyn branch and subsequently the Canterbury branch. He was always willing to lend a hand and was always at listening posts, campaigning and handing out at pre-poll and captaining polling booths.

When not supporting the Liberal Party, Tony was a certified practising accountant and corporate governance professional who had a broad range of experience in both small and medium-sized enterprises and ASX-listed companies. He was born a Kiwi. He migrated to Australia when he was an undergraduate at Auckland University and completed his tertiary education at the University of Melbourne. He loved music and was a huge fan of Bob Dylan.

Having grown up in New Zealand on a farm, Tony loved the great outdoors, and it was on a hiking trip to Wilsons Promontory that he died suddenly on 13 June 2019. We were absolutely shocked to hear this very sad news. He had been a friend of mine and a friend of the member for Kooyong, Josh Frydenberg, and he was a man of the utmost dignity and loyalty. Many Liberals attended Tony’s funeral on 4 July in Bulleen. Tony leaves behind his wife, Jian, and his son, Nicholas, of whom he was extremely proud.