Dear members, friends and supporters, Many of you would already be aware that earlier today we lost one of our brightest stars when our much-loved friend and colleague Kurt Steel was tragically killed in a bus crash in Bolivia. Our sincerest condolences and prayers are with his family, work colleagues and many friends both in Canberra and in the Labor family across Australia. Our Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, Federal Leader Bill Shorten and Kurt’s friend and boss Andrew Barr have already shared some heartfelt words about this tragic loss: Chief Minister Katy Gallagher MLA: He was a significant contributor to the ACT Government - being employed in Andrews office for a number of years - most recently as his media adviser. Kurt was a professional, highly respected and dedicated member of the Labor team who will be sorely missed and impossible to replace. He was a person who always went beyond what was required of him and was always happy to volunteer his time and skills to help the Labor movement here in the ACT and across the country. As you all know from working with him - he was a natural leader, always had a smile on his face and approached every task with enthusiasm and endless positive energy. Everyone in the building knew how excited Kurt was about his six week trip of a lifetime through South America. His passing at such a young age, whilst on his overseas adventure is a terrible tragedy for which there are no words that can cushion us from the shock, the sadness and the grief thats being felt right now. I know I speak for all of you when I say the thoughts of all of us are with his family during this terrible time and we also send our thoughts to all of those who have lost loved ones or have been affected by this accident. Federal Labor Leader Bill Shorten MP: Today, the Labor Party mourns the death of one of our own, Kurt Steel. Kurt was a popular and hugely respected member of the Labor team. His passion for Labor and our partys cause was truly awesome. His death is incredibly sad news and I know hell be missed by so many. Our thoughts are with Kurts family, especially his parents Jayne and Phillip, and his siblings Chris and Yasmin. Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr MLA: There are no words that can cushion us from the shock, the sadness and the immense grief being felt today at the loss of our friend Kurt Steel. We have lost a dearly loved colleague and a great mate. Kurt was a professional, highly respected and dedicated leader in my office, the ACT Government and the Labor Party. He will be sorely missed and impossible to replace. Our thoughts are with Kurt’s family at this terrible time and we also send our thoughts to all of those who have lost loved ones or have been affected by this accident. Last year during the federal election our friend turned his attention to helping the federal Labor Party and many more hundreds of people around Australia got to know and love our Kurt. Here are a few words about Kurt from Nathan Lambert (Assistant National Secretary) at the ALP National Secretariat: As you know, Kurt was immensely popular across the party -- not just in Canberra but across the nation. Everyone who worked with him admired his passion, his belief, and above all his genial nature and steady mind. He always had a twinkle in his eye; he was never rattled in a crisis; he was always happy to chip in and help. He brought a positive energy -- he would have laughed at that phrase but its true -- to everything he did. As soon as Kurt was on board, you felt things would be done well, they would be done promptly, and they would be done in a way that the whole team could agree with and support. We were so happy to have him as part of the 2013 campaign headquarters. To be honest, we had already begun working out how to poach him from Andrew Barr again. Im sure we werent alone. In a line of work where people are not necessarily quick to praise or trust others, Kurt was so widely admired and relied upon. He will be truly, sorely missed. Many of you will want to pass on your condolences directly to Kurt’s family, his brother Chris, sister Yasmine and parents Jayne and Philip. Please send those cards and letters to The Steel Family, 21 Hawker Street Torrens ACT 2607. Elias Hallaj ACT Branch Secretary
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 09:33:21 +0000
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