Ostwald, Mr Mike – Speech in the Federation Chamber 22/08/2024
Hansard 22/08/2024 House of Representatives
Mr LLEW O’BRIEN (Wide Bay) (09:45): Today I rise to honour the memory of Wide Bay’s great people, Mike Ostwald. Mike was a long-time resident of Gympie and Monto, and he recently passed away while visiting his daughter and granddaughters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mike’s passing was mourned by many who travelled far to pay their respects at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Gympie.
The funeral service was jointly conducted by Father Louie Jimenez of St Patrick’s Parish and Father Mick Peters, a former schoolmate of Mike’s from Nudgee college in Brisbane. The eulogy was delivered by Mike’s eldest son, Mark Ostwald.
The service was characteristic of an Ostwald affair, with significant music contributions performed by family members and the Gympie Pitch-In choir.
Mike had a strong sense of community and was an active member of numerous community organisations, most of which were represented at the funeral and the wake.
His life was characterised by a relentless devotion to self-reliance and independence, the kind of determination synonymous with his generation.
The first 40 years of Mike’s life were spent on a Monto dairy farm, after which he moved to the Gympie region and embarked on a career in real estate, specialising in agricultural properties across the Gympie and greater Wide Bay regions.
Joined by his wife, Gina, Mike took a decade away from real estate to run a family-operated tourist park at Mary River on the Arnhem Highway in the Northern Territory, before returning to Gympie and restarting the real estate business. He continued to work in real estate well into his 70s, with some of his best years in business being his final ones.
The great turnout observed at his funeral service and wake was a testament to the life he lived and the relationships he formed—a life well lived.
Mike was a source of unwavering support, always there to offer guidance and encouragement. His love was a constant in the lives of his family and friends, and his absence leaves a void that words cannot fill. While we mourn the loss of Mike, we also celebrate the legacy he leaves behind. His spirit lives on in the values he imparted and the lives he touched and the love he shared.
I extend my condolences to Gina and all of Mike’s family. Rest in peace, Mike Ostwald.
