St George Community Awards

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-104616

Hansard session: Fifty-Sixth Parliament, First Session (56-1)

St George Community Awards

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (23:14:39):

Tonight I speak about the St George Community Awards, an event I have hosted over the past eight consecutive years. On 29 October more than 600 people were ushered into the venue at Club Central in Hurstville. It was a huge success and it was a great honour to have the Premier of New South Wales, the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian, MP, attend as our special guest on the night. I also thank Paul McGrath, our master of ceremonies for the event. Paul is the station manager and broadcaster for local radio 2NBC. Paul has had 30 years of senior media experience in the radio industry and has transformed 2NBC into one of Sydney's most listened to and respected metropolitan community radio stations.

The Oatley West Public School Combined Band entertained us with two outstanding musical performances, preceded by the Australian national anthem. I thank all the students of the Oatley West Public School and the conductor, Lauren Faulks, for delighting with their musical items. It is always great to have support from local public schools. The St George Community Awards are the highlight of the year for me as a member of Parliament because it is an opportunity for community leaders, volunteers and local heroes to gather and be congratulated on their service to the St George area. It is nights like these that remind me of how fortunate I am to have been born and raised in our local community and how, since 2011, I have had the honour of representing it in the New South Wales Parliament.

Each year I have six categories of awards for which people can be nominated—Individual, Senior, Youth, Community Group, Business and Environment. This year a record number of nominations came through my office, with more than 120 individuals and community groups being recognised on the night. These award recipients are part of a six million-people army who volunteer across our nation. Volunteers make an extraordinary contribution to Australian society. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our community and come from all walks of life—working people, students and professionals, young people and retirees.

I spent a few moments this week reflecting on the successes of our previous community awards nights and the hundreds of individuals who have walked across the stage over these years. Thinking about all the people who have invested time, energy and resources in our local community is incredibly moving. There are consistent volunteers like Janette Beattie, who has been a member of the St George Art and Craft Centre for the past 40 years; environmentalists like Matt Heffernan, who is a parent volunteer at the Oatley Public School, starting projects such as creating a veggie patch and a chicken coop; multicultural groups like the Resourceful Australian Indian Network [RAIN], which does so much for our local community; and young, driven people like Jayden Bitz, who started at Jumbuck Meats as a 17-year-old apprentice and is now the shop manager.

The volunteering spirit in the St George area is certainly not diminishing. Many of us juggle an array of weekly commitments, from work to driving our kids to sport, to visiting family and friends. Regardless of these commitments, this has rarely stopped the local community from enthusiastically embodying the volunteering spirit. In addition to recognising the dozens of award recipients, I also acknowledge the friends, families and colleagues who nominated the individuals and groups. Their enthusiasm and initiative in getting involved in this annual event were demonstrated in the packed-out room on the night. Volunteers and volunteer organisations strengthen our communities. I encourage everyone to get involved because every individual can make a difference.

The House adjourned, pursuant to standing and sessional orders, at 23:20 until

Wednesday 14 November 2018 at 10:00.