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Minister Kean Pays Tribute to Hedley Somerville

25 October 2018

Mr MATT KEAN (Hornsby—Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation) (18:23): I pay tribute to a unique Hornsby resident who recently passed away. I refer to Hedley Somerville. His contribution to the local community will long be remembered. In his working days Hedley conducted the business of Somerville's Produce Store. He was the third generation of the Somerville family to have run the store. His grandfather James Somerville established the store in 1902. Hedley's father Charles continued the family business. Hedley took over from his father and continued to operate the produce store until his retirement. The store closed in 1988. Somerville's Produce Store was an institution at Hornsby over a very long period. It opened when the area was basically rural and continued as Hornsby transformed into the residential area it is today.

Working in the store gave Hedley a close view of the passing parade of Hornsby's characters and events. People came in with large orders for farm produce or with smaller requirements for pet ponies or backyard chook pens. Hedley's customers ranged from ordinary working people to judges and even a New South Wales Premier who used to arrive in shorts and a T-shirt. He saw and knew the lot. He spent his whole life at Hornsby and his wife, Del, was also born there. They met dancing at the old Pacific Cabaret. Del and Hedley worked together in the produce store and became lifelong partners in every sense of the word.

When they retired, Hedley and Del developed a dream: It was to produce a book telling the story of the Somervilles and the produce store. Inevitably, it went further and included other information about Hornsby and its surrounding districts. Hedley and Del slowly built a magnificent collection of local photographs—some gathered from archives, some from local friends and some through their own photographic efforts. Hedley wrote his book and it came into being in 2002. It is a superb record of early Hornsby that immediately became compulsive reading for a generation of his contemporaries. Cupboards were raided, memories consulted and additional information poured in. Soon, enough material had been amassed for a second book, which was published by Del and Hedley in 2006. It too was a marvellous success.

Hedley gave the books the titles ofA Taste of Ginger andA Bit More Ginger. The titles reveal another unique aspect of Hedley's work. His father, Charles Somerville, was a boyhood friend of Jimmy Bancks, the creator of the comic,Ginger Meggs. Charles was a red-haired boy, prone to mischievous adventures, and it is widely recognised in Hornsby that the comic strip character was based on Hedley's father. Hedley has recognised that he and his siblings were not allowed to read the comic until their father had checked it. Hedley's father, Ginger Meggs, grew up to not only manage the produce store but also to become the longest serving councillor in the shire of Hornsby. This provided Hedley with firsthand knowledge of most of our civic leaders. Always positive in his recollections, Hedley attended a huge number of Hornsby events and disasters, including the fire in 1957, which almost destroyed the Hornsby township. Hedley cared for his father in old age and was rightly very proud of him. Hedley wrote in his second book a quote that summarised his attitude to life:

Don't let the past dictate who you are, but make sure it remains part of who you become.

In a manner afforded to few people, Hedley has left a legacy of contribution to the Hornsby community that many would like to emulate but few will ever be able to achieve. Tom Richmond has given me a copy of a poem that he wrote for the launching ofA Bit More Ginger. Perhaps it captures something of the Hedley Somerville dream:

Jump on board the billycart, then, and

Take a trip down Nanny Goat Hill,

Through the mists of childhood pleasures—

Then enjoyed, remembered still.

Past the glow of simmering bonfires

Cracker nights and Empire Day,

Round the Sun Rocks, down the Valley,

Adults working, kids at play.

Smoke from steam trains as we pass them

Shunting in the Hornsby Yard—

See the roadworks now in progress

Smell the surface freshly tarred.

Past McCloy's—and there's the circus

Elephants and clowns and rings;

Front stall seats in Osborne's theatre,

Fixing bikes at Harry King's.

Look, they've got the Sunday papers,

Ginger Meggs and Gladsome Glad!

Past the hallowed Council Chambers,

Storey, James and Hedley's Dad.

Ride the billycart round old Hornsby,

Where it goes we cannot tell,

Bucketloads of pure nostalgia—

Thank you Hedley. Thank you Del!

Hedley Somerville has made a remarkable contribution to our community. His legacy will live on through all those who had the privilege to meet him. He has helped build Hornsby into the town and shire that we know and love today. Although he is gone, he is certainly not forgotten. I pay my respects and pass on my sincere condolences to Del and the entire Somerville family. Hedley will certainly not be forgotten.

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Hansard/Pages/HansardResult.aspx#/doci...