Tuesday, 2 May 2023

 Belinda WILSON (Narre Warren North) (15:29): I rise to speak about the late Father Bob Maguire, who passed away a couple of weeks ago aged 88. Father Bob was a uniquely beloved Melbourne figure, as iconic to our city as laneway art, the magic coffee order or footy at the G. That this Catholic priest, who overcame a difficult upbringing, could become a TV and radio star, a charity hero and a figure beloved by so many across our nation irrespective of their religion speaks to his incredible legacy.

Father Bob was so much more than a priest. He spent every waking minute of his life, to the end, helping the most disadvantaged in our state. In an era where our Catholic Church produced figures that mired it in controversy, Father Bob was a shining beacon of old Christian traditions of looking after one another, of accepting and loving everyone and of speaking truth to power. It was a pleasure for me to work with Father Bob in recent years and to work with his incredible foundation. As funny and as charismatic as he may have seemed in public, the truth is he was even funnier. But beneath his hilarious and often confusing riffs was a message that never faltered: we had to do more for the needy and for the unloved. My condolences to Father Bob’s family, his friends, the staff, Paul and all at the foundation, and all those whose lives he touched with generosity and kindness.