While the administrators were called in and the sale of property and equipment began, we all held on to a faint glimmer of hope that new ownership might save the business and the 131 jobs.

Sadly, information in the past couple of days has confirmed that most of the basic equipment, required to run the business, is being sold and there will essentially be nothing left. In plain terms – the car isn’t of much use once the engine and the wheels have been sold off.

This is an incredibly sad event for the many employees who worked there, for the more than 450 businesses who relied on Endeavour services and for the entire community who helped to build and support such a wonderful place.

As a kid growing up, my next door neighbour Pete was an employee of Endeavour and his mum Sheila was one of the founders. Having Pete and his Mum next door was one of life’s unpredictable gifts for me (although I didn’t appreciate it at the time).

There was so much to learn about acceptance, tolerance and respect. Endeavour helped us to do that across an entire community.

Some of the great workers of Endeavour are heroes in our community. And I refer to many people from the shop floor right up to board level.

It is their decades of great work that makes the loss of Endeavour so much harder. If we didn’t care about this great organisation then we would not be feeling the pain that we are now.

So my enormous congratulations and thanks to all of those wonderful people.

I am reminded, as we head toward the festive season, that not all is well for all families in our community. No doubt those with the financial means will have quite lavish spreads of meals and a tree full of gifts.

And indeed as we head toward State and Federal elections in 2019, we will get tempted to vote for a political party that offers an extra $50 or $100 in our pockets and dare a political party not offer that same gift of money, then they will be cast as the evil incarnates.

But a sobering truth is that we have families right here in our community that can’t afford gifts or enormous meals; that can’t afford basic food, shelter and clothing.

The ability of any government to help our people living in poverty is limited by the money that it collects and spends on behalf of all of us.

So while we set aside 2019 as the time to consider these bigger issues in political terms, perhaps, if you can, keep an ear and an eye out for members of our community that might be able to use a little help in the coming weeks.

For enquiries regarding the State Government or its departments, or to put you in contact with someone who can, please contact my office.

My office can be contacted by phoning 4991-1466, by email to cessnock@parliament.nsw.gov.au or call into 118 Vincent Street (PO Box 242), Cessnock 2325.

You also follow me on my Facebook page “www.facebook.com/claytonbarrmp”, go to Twitter and search @claytonbarrmp or check out my website at www.claytonbarr.com.au