Wednesday, 16 October 2024

 Nick STAIKOS (Bentleigh) (09:56): It really is an honour to say a few words about my friend Noel Pullen. Noel simply loved the Labor Party, so much so that at the 1999 election, when Labor did not field a candidate for Higinbotham province, he vowed then that he would run for the seat in 2002, and he did that because he believed that everyone, regardless of the seat they were in, should have the opportunity to vote Labor. Against all odds he won the seat of Higinbotham, and that was the first time that the people of Brighton were actually represented by a Labor member in this Parliament.

I first met Noel a couple of months after that election at Cosmic Bear Cafe in Oakleigh, which was owned by the member for Oakleigh. It was a branch function, and I said to him that I would like to run for council at some stage. I did when I turned 18 or 19, and Noel really was my guide throughout not just my council campaign but the rest of my political journey.

One thing that says a lot about Noel’s character is that he supported upper house reform even though he knew it would mean the end of his parliamentary career, but he knew it was the right thing to do. The reason it says it all about Noel is that Noel always put the Labor Party ahead of himself. He was a proud life member of the party. He loved the Labor Party and he loved Brighton Union Cricket Club in equal measure. In fact he wrote a book about the history of the Brighton Union Cricket Club. Vale, my friend Noel Pullen.