Parliament’s new speaker Nat Cook plans to spend Mother’s Day with family as she remembers her son, Sammy D, who was killed in a one-punch attack at age 17 on May 4, 2008. He would have turned 36 this year.

Eighteen years after her son Sammy D died, Cook says the emotions are still raw.

“The big emotions are there and I think it might get easier to manage and moderate the emotions a bit, but I’d be lying if I said you’d get through without the emotions,” Cook, who started the Sammy D Foundation with her husband Neil to advocate against youth violence, said.

Cook remembers Sammy D as someone who was very competitive, loved sport, had a great sense of humour, enjoyed the company of adults and was always in a rush.

“He rode his bike really early, he walked really early, did a lot of things very young – I guess that played in him living a short life,” she said, saying that 1700 people came to his funeral, with former teachers and friends sharing nice and funny memories of her son.

Cook – who was first elected as the member of Hurtle Vale covering the southern suburbs in 2018 – is now honouring Sammy D by taking part in Giving Week and having a Schnitty 4 Sam, saying, “That would be two more than I would normally eat in a week”.

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As part of Giving Week, Cook also made a video telling how “every act of generosity helps to raise awareness, spark conversation and bring people together”. And along with being appointed Speaker during the opening of State Parliament on Tuesday, she is also celebrating two family birthdays.

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Cook’s eldest son, Ty, has a birthday this week, along with her stepdaughter Sheree. This Mother’s Day, she will be spending time with the family: her husband Neil, her 41-year-old stepdaughter Sheree, her 24-year-old foster son Ty, her 13-year-old son Sid, and her 21-month-old grandson.

“It’s a difficult week for birthdays, but you move straight back into being a mum and a grandma and doing all the things,” she said.

“The week kicked off with our 13-year-old playing football, and like it or not, there are great similarities [to Sammy] with him in terms of his eagerness and competitive spirit around sport and similarities to the kicking style and all those things.

“So, when you’re watching your young one play very similarly, sometimes you lose yourself in the moment a little bit. But it’s actually lovely, because there is hope and positivity and things to look forward to.”

Mother’s Day will start with a family brunch and move on to watching her son play sport.

“What I can strike now is a balance with the difficulty of the memory and the absence of Sam, but the joy of being with my children, earthside, and balancing that memory, it is really tough,” she said.

Cook said it was her son Sammy who inspired her to enter the world of politics, where she continues to campaign for the Sammy D Foundation’s advocacy against bullying, violence, and alcohol and drug abuse among young people.

“I’m always going to be advocating for the philosophy of the foundation and its mission, and that is about providing really powerful stories for young people to use as an example of how they should treat each other and how they can behave to keep each other safe,” she said.

It has been an emotional week for Cook after she was named Speaker of the House of Assembly, having lost the Human Services and Seniors and Ageing Well portfolios in a cabinet reshuffle following the 2026 state election.

Cook was previously a member of Labor but quit the party to become speaker, saying that despite having “strong” allegiances to Labor, being independent “gives that elevation of importance to the speaker remaining impartial”.

She hopes to use the role as Speaker “to start driving some conversations in the community about how to treat each other better”.

“I think I want to be someone that continues to be relatable and continues to be somebody who people can approach and have a conversation with and set an example for being able to connect with the community,” Cook said.

“There is a lot to read and I’ve been doing that as well, but I just have to not put too much pressure on myself to note everything all at once – but I’m enjoying the challenge of it; I like to keep busy.”