Stephen Bruce Bromhead, Former Member for Myall Lakes

The PRESIDENT:

I acknowledge in the gallery Stephen Bromhead's wife, Sue, his children Caroline, Stewart and Trent, his sister Bethany, his brother Gordon, his sister-in-law Gwyn and his niece Amalia. You are all welcome, and we are grateful for your being here today for this important occasion.

The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (16:16:37):

I move:

(1)That this House extends its deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to the family of Mr Stephen Bruce Bromhead, who passed away on 16 March 2023.

(2)That this House acknowledges Mr Bromhead's years of service as the member for Myall Lakes from 2011 to 2023, and his roles as Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Housing and Regional Transport and Roads, and as The Nationals Whip.

(3)That this House recognises with gratitude his contribution to regional New South Wales.

Mr President, honourable members and, most importantly, family, what a privilege it is for me as the Deputy Leader of the New South Wales National Party to move this motion for a man I cared about, adored and loved deeply. Brommy was unique. He had a long history. He spent 12 years as the member for Myall Lakes, but probably his most famous membership was 40 long years of the New South Wales National Party, which is quite an achievement, and I do not think that many will follow. Brommy's life was always about serving his community, whether as a nurse, a police officer, a lawyer, a local councillor or a member of Parliament. He did all of those with the commitment, dedication and drive with which he did everything he pursued. He had a long history, about which we heard beautiful speeches in the other place today, about his career and what he did.

But what I will do is talk about the man I knew and loved. Brommy protected us all. He was always a great champion of women and a great mentor. He was the first person to stand up if he felt that any of us were under threat or could not do the things we needed to do. His loyalty to his people and to his community was fierce, and it was fiercest of all for his family. He loved the National Party and stood by it because of what it meant to him, to us and to communities but mostly because he absolutely loved where he lived. When one female member of our party was having a particularly difficult time, he was the first to stand up and say that we needed to do something and to call it out, and we did. He was a true gentleman in every sense of the word.

He put on a famous seafood dinner, and he got me to come and speak at it by saying, "Bronnie, if you come and speak at this, really good things will happen to you. You will get a promotion, and you will rise in the National Party, because it's legendary." It was the time of the shocking fires. I drove up there through plumes of smoke, going to the seafood dinner in Myall Lakes, but Brommy said I had to go so I jolly well had to be there. I am really glad I went to that seafood dinner because I got to become the first female deputy leader in the New South Wales Nats. That was because of that jolly seafood dinner, I know it, and all those prawns I ate. That was the sort of person he was. He wanted you to come. He would do it any way that he possibly could, but he genuinely wanted the best for you and he genuinely wanted you to succeed.

The other things for me were his dignity and his strength, and nowhere were they more evident than the day I went up to announce that we were able to do an upgrade to the hospital. Brommy had checked himself out of hospital because he wanted to be there for that really special occasion; it meant so much to him. He was as white as a jolly ghost and I knew he was not well. He was finding it really difficult to breathe, but he walked up and down the wards of that hospital and he would not stop. It meant something to him and, for me, never was that more evident about a man who had so much dignity and so much strength. It was a mark of the man. Health meant a lot to him. He was one of the first psychiatric nurses, as we used to say in those days; we now call them mental health nurses. He was very well placed to operate in this place, with that sort of career. Health meant a lot to him and that is why the hospital upgrades meant so much to him and Forster Hospital meant so much to him. Unfortunately, that recently got cut out of the New South Wales budget, but I give you my word—and I know the strength in Tanya Thompson—we will get that across the line and we will not stop until we do.

I will talk about two more things before I finish and allow time for my colleagues. Sam Farraway will talk about this, but Sam always said that Brommy really is a true Nat. It is really who he was. He is everything that we envision to be. He showed us how to represent the National Party. He showed us what it is to stand up for people. Most of all, he always showed us that loyalty was so important, whether you were standing on your own or you were standing with most of the room. It was loyalty that mattered. For me, his family and the way that he spoke about each and every one of them is just so very special. His love for you, Sue—the way he looked at you and the way he spoke about you—was such a testament to the love that you shared. It was an incredible love and it will live on for a long time. To his children, I say that he was so proud of you—so proud of you. Remember that every single day, he lives on in each of you. That special bit of magic that was Brommy lives on in all of you. I thank the House for allowing us to move the motion and for allowing us do it a bit later. It is with immense pride that I stand here to speak about a man who was a true friend, who I loved. Vale, Brommy.

The Hon. PENNY SHARPE (Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Environment, and Minister for Heritage) (16:23:05):

On behalf of the Government, I support the motion and thank the Hon. Bronnie Taylor for bringing it forward. Losing a colleague like that is always extremely hard, particularly someone who spent such a long time in a political party and who you have grown up with and have worked with. Leaving aside all those reasons, the loss of members like that is felt very hard. I acknowledge the other National Party members who are in the Chamber.

Stephen Bromhead was a strong advocate for the community of Myall Lakes ever since he was elected in 2011. We tried to dislodge him—several times—and failed, partly because of his long and deep connection to his community and his great campaigning, but also because his community loved him back. He was a loyal, steadfast and committed member of the other place, and as everyone has said—and I am sure that we will hear from his Nationals colleagues—a very proud National. Long-time membership of political parties is too rare; some people do not want to stay the term.

Being part of a political party can be hard. It can be like being in the most dysfunctional family you have ever been in. You love it, but sometimes it is very hard to stay because it can be challenging. We have to make hard decisions and we do not always agree, and sometimes the people closest to you are the people who are coming after you. That is the reality of politics. To survive so long is not just a testament to survival; it is a testament to commitment and, as the Hon. Bronnie Taylor said, to loyalty and to understanding the values of who you are and what you seek to represent. I think that those on this side of the House really understood that Stephen Bromhead was one of those men and that he cared deeply for his community.

We recognise that one of his many achievements for his community—and there were many—was, of course, the landmark Manning Base Hospital, which is a lasting legacy for public health care in the regions. His community was well served by him. We know that Stephen was a registered nurse who cared for patients in his community. He then took on an interesting role—I would love to know the story—when he decided to join the NSW Police Force. He served initially as a general duties officer and then as a detective. He served for a total of 12 years, mainly around Taree and surrounding districts.

His passion for policing flowed through to his time as a member of New South Wales Parliament; he was constantly on the case about better police services for Myall Lakes. He was a volunteer firefighter and was also involved in many other groups, including the chamber of commerce. I believe that he was a big fan of the Forster‑Tuncurry rugby club and, of course, the RFS. His history of service continued as a member of Parliament and we acknowledge his contribution to his community. We acknowledge the loss for his colleagues, who are very sad, and we pass on our condolences to them. Like all people who have served their community for a long time, I acknowledge the loss for his family. We send our condolences to you and thank you for sharing him with the people of New South Wales. All politicians give up a lot, but our families give up even more when they let us do the jobs that we want to do. Vale, Stephen Bromhead.

The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL (16:26:19):

I support the motion moved by my colleague and friend the Hon. Bronnie Taylor, as we commemorate the life of our former colleague Stephen Bruce Bromhead, MP. I am calling him Brommy because I never called him Stephen once in the 13 years that I knew him. It feels very strange, so it will be Brommy from here on in. As others have said, sadly, we lost him earlier this year. It was a really tough time for us. We have the opportunity now to pause and reflect on the amazing man that he was and the incredible legacy that he left.

I have had the joy of knowing Brommy the entire time I have been in Parliament. We were part of the class of 2011; there are only a few in that group who still serve. I was thinking, when I was preparing for today, about my reflection of when I first met him. It was when we were going, as candidates, to do media training. We had to practise telling stories about things we might not want to talk about and how we would deal with it. I will never talk about what Brommy and I were practising, but I think we were both very happy that those stories never saw the light of day. What I picked up from that initial meeting with him was his very dry sense of humour. He was a funny man who made me laugh from the first day that I met him. He was whip-smart and incredibly passionate about his community. Even then, as a candidate, he could see the role that he could play to make life better for them. That was a really powerful trait of his that did not change or waver in the more than a decade that he served in the other place.

He did not have an easy journey into this Parliament. I think, as Gurmesh Singh said in the other place, he won his seat, with a margin, from a hospital bed because he had had a car accident mere weeks before the 2011 election. There was also the infamous jumping up to ask a question and breaking his leg midway through. I have seen some good reasons to try to get out of question time, but putting yourself in hospital was among the greats. The way he managed that showed the measure of the man that he was. There are a lot of stories we could tell about our visits, but my favourite memory of Brommy is of him standing at that barbecue on the National Party balcony, with his Wallabies jersey and his apron on, clicking the barbeque tongs and, more often than not, telling a story about one of his kids or something that he and Sue had done on the weekend, while turning the meat that had come down from the Myall Lakes for the Nats family barbeque that we have on a Monday night.

That epitomises everything that he loved. It was about the Nats. It was about rugby. It was about family. That is such a wonderful legacy. We would have a steak and a beer. Brommy would have a diet ginger beer—always diet, Sue, I promise; always a diet Saxbys—and we would have a laugh. True friends are sometimes hard to find in this place, but he genuinely was a friend to all of us and a father figure to so many. He was fiercely loyal, as the Hon. Bronnie Taylor said. He was a strong advocate for women in our party and a really passionate defender of what was right. He was a man who had the courage of his convictions. He stood by them every single day that he came into this place.

I seek an extension of time.

Leave granted.

The Hon. SARAH MITCHELL:

His background as a nurse, police officer and solicitor gave him a richer perspective, more than anybody, on some of the challenging things that people go through and the best way to help them. Our party, party room and this Parliament is so much richer for having had him as a member. We are all very privileged to serve in this place, but Brommy, hand on heart, genuinely loved his role as a local MP. He loved being able to help people. It did not matter how small it was, he took so much pride in his role. What makes me especially sad about his passing is that I know he would love to be here serving in this place. He was not done; he was not ready to leave. He would have been a very cheeky member in opposition. He loved fighting the good fight for his people and he would have loved to hold Labor to account.

I know that, without doubt, he would have been immensely proud of the incredible result at the election this year, which saw the amazing Tanya Thompson elected as his successor in Myall Lakes. He is a strong backer of women, and he mentored and supported Tanya for many years. I am certain, Tan, that Brommy is up there watching your star shine and he is very proud of you. I finish by acknowledging his beloved wife, Sue, who is part of our National Party family and always will be. I acknowledge your family, who are here today as well. He loved you deeply and he was so proud of you, as Bronnie said. That was so obvious. Every time he would speak about any of you, his face would light up. I know you are all feeling his loss today and every day, as are we. We share in that grief with you. We promise you that we will always cherish the contribution he made to his community, to The Nationals and to the people of rural New South Wales. Rest in peace, Brommy. We love you and we miss you.

The Hon. SAM FARRAWAY (16:31:23):

I support the condolence motion for Stephen Bruce Bromhead. I too never called him Stephen; it was always Brommy. I will tell a couple of quick stories. Yes, he was a nurse, lawyer, police officer, local councillor and fantastic rugby club administrator. He was very much an old‑school Nat. He was very genuine. He never tolerated fools, did Brommy, including some people in our own party room at times. I had only been in Parliament for four years, but I knew Brommy well before then, when I was a business person and vice president and vice chairman of the National Party. I knew him for a long time and always, at every conference, he would talk rugby. He was a massive Waratahs and Wallabies fan. It was an absolute privilege to follow in his footsteps. I now run the Parliamentary Friends of Rugby, even though Australian rugby is in the toilet. But he did keep it alive here, and I will try to do that for him.

The Daily Telegraph

There are some funny stories. Everyone in the lower House spoke about those Monday night barbecues. I was only in Parliament for a matter of months before I saw Brommy at one. journalists were hovering around the library and they had found where our party room was. They were trying to take a photo of this exclusive National Party barbecue—it was nothing like that—but what was hilarious was Brommy was in the photo, which was pitch black except for the lighting from a flame coming out of the barbecue. I said, "Brommy, I do not know if there are any fire alarms around, but you are going to be in big trouble soon." It was hilarious. He put that barbecue on every week. If you wanted the meat well done, like I did, you went every week because it was chargrilled.

I remember a couple of other things, including the opening of the Pacific Highway. The National Party was in government, both State and Federal. We made our way up to Little Italy on the North Coast. I do not mind saying this now, but the then Prime Minister tried to bar some of the State National Party MPs from cutting the ribbon and from being in the photo. Somehow Brommy had figured it all out. He found Gurmesh, Dugald and I and said, "Bloody Scomo is trying to cut us out." So we went around the back of Little Italy and we took selfies with Scomo. We said, "We are going to put you in the thick of it; we are going to put you in our photos." We were there to cut the ribbon. But Brommy was no fool. He was so genuine. He did not tolerate fools. The Liberals started a story after a photo was taken of him and I cutting the ribbon on the Pacific Highway with all our colleagues.

I seek an extension of time.

Leave granted.

The Hon. SAM FARRAWAY:

After that photo I became known as Brommy Junior. I think Taylor Martin, who was in the Chamber before, instigated a lot of that. The photos went around in all of the Liberal chat groups saying, "Look, it is Senior and Junior," but I take that name with pride. He is like royalty in Myall Lakes. Last weekend I joined the new member for Myall Lakes, Tanya Thompson, at Wingham Preschool. She was the local member, and I had just gone along for the ride, but I saw Brommy's name there on a plaque because of his contribution. There was an accident at the Bulahdelah Show, where all of his pop-ups were used by the woodchoppers instead of Tanya's. But he lived on through that, and to see him acknowledged that day was absolutely amazing.

He was a Nationals man, he was a family man, he was a community man. He was a nurse, lawyer, police officer, local councillor, State MP and rugby club administrator. He was an all-round good bloke. We have talked about that 2011 story when he won that seat from a hospital bed. Tanya may correct me, but he had that accident in a yellow van on Blackhead Road, which now has the world's largest roundabout you have ever seen. But that was thanks to Brommy. Tanya will follow in his footsteps and get a roundabout on Failford Road, which we were covering the other day. Tanya, you will carve out your own path, but he was very proud of you. He was a bit of a father figure to me. He was a good bloke, Brommy. Vale, mate.

The Hon. WES FANG (16:36:19):

I contribute to the condolence motion. As was noted in the other place, Brommy loved a short speech. We are allowed to speak for three minutes in this debate, but I note that a couple of extensions of time have been granted. I will try to keep my contribution as short as possible so that other members can speak. But those extensions go to show the heart that Steve brought to this place, which everyone has had to speak to, because there is just so much to say about him.

How do we encompass the contribution Steve made to the Parliament in three minutes? It is almost impossible. As everyone else has said, Brommy—because no‑one ever called him Steve or Stephen; it was always Brommy—took me under his wing like he took so many others under his wing. In my case it was because I was elected mid-term, as the President would remember. The President was the then Government Deputy Whip, which he was keen to hand over to somebody else. That role was handed over to the new guy—me.

I was trying to learn about not only what was happening Parliament, but also about how to be the Whip, and the Whip in the other House was Brommy. So Brommy and I sat together at the table, and I tried to learn from him as much as I could. Everyone is right: He did not suffer fools. But he was so willing to give, if you were willing to learn. That is why all of us have so much love for him, because if you were willing to absorb the stuff that he was prepared to give you, you would become a much better parliamentarian and person. For me, that meant learning all the stuff about being a Whip, and he was so giving of his time. As we have all spoken about, my memories of him will be of the barbecues, the Monday nights, the Christmas parties and his way of doing the Secret Santa, which I have never seen before. It was famous, or infamous—I do not quite know the words for it—but it made the night, and that was Brommy. The legacy he has left is in the gallery, in Tanya.

I seek an extension of time.

Leave granted.

The Hon. WES FANG:

The best legacy a member can leave is to hand the representation of their electorate to somebody who will look after the community as well as they have. We know how much Brommy loved his community. Mentoring Tanya Thompson and having her take over as the member for Myall Lakes is a real legacy. It goes to the very point that we have made: He was a real Nat. He was exactly what a Nat should be. Tanya's presence in the other place is a legacy that speaks for itself. I will always remember my time with Brommy. I will always remember the lessons I learned from him. I will always remember his heart and passion for his electorate. I will always remember the battles that he fought to get more for his community. He was a giant of a man. I am so honoured that for a brief time we can pay tribute to him in this place. I thank his family for coming and listening to our words so that we can honour him appropriately. Vale, Brommy.

The Hon. DAMIEN TUDEHOPE (16:40:59):

I hate to interrupt a National Party love-in, but it is appropriate that I do, from a Liberal Party perspective, because I was a colleague of Brommy in the other House for at least four years.

The Hon. Penny Sharpe:

Those were the days.

The Hon. DAMIEN TUDEHOPE:

Those were the days before I saw the light and came to this place.

The Hon. John Graham:

We've loved having you.

The Hon. DAMIEN TUDEHOPE:

And it is great to be here. In reflecting on Brommy, the first thing to say is that he was a person to whom it was impossible to say no. He had the ability to sidle up to you and, whether you were in the Lions Club or not, you would be regaled or dragooned into attending Lions Club dinners. He had the ability to get 500-odd people to those dinners to raise endless funds for a charity, probably not of his choice but of others' choice. The establishment of the Parliamentary Lions Club was virtually his baby and he was very passionate about it.

The second thing is that he was enormously passionate about the community of Myall Lakes that he represented. The electorate of Myall Lakes represented the thing that he was, in many respects, born to. He wanted to be part of that community and to give back to that community what he thought they had given to him. On a daily basis, he lived for making his community a better place. Lastly, no-one could have a conversation with Brommy without him talking about rugby. He would have been appalled by the performance of the Australian rugby team at the World Cup. He would be appalled by the current administration of Australian rugby and would probably be offering himself as an alternative administrator to ensure that we got the best out of Australian rugby. In the final analysis, Brommy was an adornment to his electorate and an adornment to the Parliament.

The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (16:43:30):

I add to the expression of deepest sympathy that this House extends to the family of Stephen Bromhead following his death earlier this year on 16 March. As we have heard, Stephen Bruce Bromhead was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Myall Lakes for The Nationals from 26 March 2011 until his retirement on 3 March 2023. He died less than two weeks after he stood down. His electorate was in northern New South Wales, an area I also represent, and I do know he had a reputation for serving his electorate with sincerity and energy.

He lived in Forster on the mid North Coast and was known for devoting his life to serving his community. He was taken away too early, at the age of 65, by an insidious disease. I was rather taken by him saying in his valedictory speech that it was not because he was tired and no longer wanted to be the local member but, rather, it was his diagnosis that forced him to retire. His community involvement extended to rugby union clubs, tourism associations, chambers of commerce and horseracing clubs. By all accounts, he was the epitome of what a hardworking local member in regional New South Wales is all about. I extend my condolences to his wife, Sue, and their seven children. Vale, Stephen Bromhead.

The Hon. BRONNIE TAYLOR (16:45:14):

In reply: Again I thank the House for its indulgence in this matter. This motion obviously means so much to all of us, and it means so much to us that his family could be here today to listen to how we felt about the man that they love and the man that we love. I thank everyone who spoke. It was joyous. When someone has gone, it is so important that we have the opportunity to tell the stories, to enjoy the memories, to value the person that they were and how they live on. As I said, I am a big believer in people living on in others, and I find it very interesting that after someone passes often people take on more of their traits and personality. Genetics are very powerful. Stephen Bromhead—our Brommy—was a very powerful man. In this Chamber today we pay tribute to a great man—a man loved by his family and loved by us, and a man whose legacy, integrity and dedication to the cause will always live on in all of us.

The PRESIDENT:

The question is that the motion be agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

The PRESIDENT:

I ask all honourable members to stand and spend a few moments in silence to reflect on the life of a good man, a kind man and a true gentleman, Stephen Bromhead—Brommy.

Members and officers of the House stood as a mark of respect.

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