Tributes have poured in for Federal Member for Canning Don Randall following his sudden death this week.
Mr Randall was found unresponsive in his car in Boddington about 3pm on Tuesday.
The 62-year-old was believed to have suffered a heart attack.
Yesterday Mr Randall’s staff released a statement describing him as ‘fair dinkum’.
“He was our boss, our mentor, our friend and someone we all admired greatly,” the statement read.
“He worked hard for the people of Canning and always put their needs first – even if it meant ruffling a few feathers.
“Don will be sorely missed but never forgotten.”
Serpentine Jarrahdale Shire president Keith Ellis said Mr Randall would be irreplaceable.
“Don was a man who got things done and there was nothing he couldn’t do,” he said.
“He did all the hard work on securing a grant for a green army project in Darling Downs and he secured it before his party had even won the election. He will be virtually irreplaceable and he will be badly missed.”
Armadale mayor Henry Zelones said Mr Randall was fiercely loyal to his electorate and worked tirelessly for his constituents.
“We’ve had a pretty good working relationship with Don for quite some years,” he said.
“You would just give Don a ring and he would just get straight into it.
“He was always very quick to pick up on things and I can’t think of an occasion where he forgot about something or didn’t follow something up.
“He took Canning from a marginal seat to a fairly safe one so I guess that shows the measure of the guy’s commitment.”
Serpentine Jarrahdale ratepayers association president Alan Clarkson remembered Mr Randall for his push for a parliamentary inquiry into the Department of Environment
Regulation following allegations groundwater had been contaminated by an Oakford composting facility.
“He went strongly to bat for the community in important issues like that,” he said.
Armadale RSL secretary Tom Ryan said Mr Randall helped the RSL on countless projects including lobbying the Department of Defence to send a howitzer war trophy to Armadale memorial park.
“We are not political of course but as our member he helped us tremendously,” he said.
“He had a great interest in the RSL and his community.”
Business Armadale president Paul Harrison said Mr Randall helped connect Armadale small businesses with decision makers in parliament.
“From the business community he helped us out immensely,” he said.
“We have Bruce Billson the Federal Minister for Small Business coming over in early September and Don organised that.”
Community members also expressed their grief by placing flowers outside Mr Randall’s office on Wednesday.
Mr Randall had organised several community events coming up including the visit from Mr Billson and a mock parliament for Kelmscott senior high school students in September.
– Hamish Hastie and Amy Blom
