Riverwood Spring Fair

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-119044

Hansard session: Fifty-Seventh Parliament, First Session (57-1)

Riverwood Spring Fair

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (18:32:16):

In 2019 I had the pleasure of attending the Riverwood Spring Fair, a great community-based event held next to the beautiful Salt Pan Creek. Currently it is in the electorate of the member for Lakemba—I am glad he is in the Chamber tonight to hear my speech—but because of the redistribution it will move into my electorate of Oatley. The spring fair is proof that our community is the best place to live in Sydney and, in fact, the State. It has an incredible sense of family and a strong spirit of supporting one another with events such as the Riverwood Spring Fair, the Oatley Village Festival and the Lugarno Spring Festival, tirelessly organised by many volunteers and community groups. I always look forward to attending events like these with my family.

Riverwood Spring Fair has been running for over 40 years and is one of the largest community events in the local area. It is consistently attended by thousands of people. The fair brings together local businesses, clubs and community groups for a day of fun, entertainment and fantastic food. I am constantly amazed by the diversity of attractions at the event. There is truly something for all members of the family. It means that my sons, James and Sam, look forward to the fair just as much as I do. One of the best parts of Riverwood is the suburb's diversity and there is a great representation of many multicultural groups and backgrounds. A unique element of the Riverwood Spring Fair is the fact that it celebrates this multicultural community with cultural performances and food samplings in an abundance to showcase the diversity of the area. Events like this promote community participation and encourage cross-cultural exchange.

those businesses to feature their products andservices, and is a great opportunity to stimulate the local economy. I alwaysenjoy chatting to stallholders and learning more about the hard work they putinto their businesses.

The Riverwood Spring Fair is also a great way to show support for local business. We are very lucky in Riverwood and the surrounding suburbs to have a wide variety and array of small businesses that are family based, family owned and built from the ground up. The fair enables

The 2019Spring Fair blew me away; the event organisers truly outdid themselves. There was a nailbiting skate competition, amusementrides for kids to enjoy, arts and crafts stations for those feeling creative, anda massive chocolate wheel that James and I had to visit many times. Whatmakes the event all the more special is the fact that it has the beautiful SaltPan Creek as a backdrop, and gives families a great chance to go for a walk andappreciate the nature and bushland that we are so lucky to have in our localarea.The Riverwood Spring Fair is principally organised by Riverwood CommunityCentre, which is an exceptional community organisation in my electorate.

Riverwood Community Centre hasprovided invaluable services, spanningfrom aged-care and disability services, to children and family services. In particular, I acknowledge former chief executive officer Michelle Newman for her outstanding leadershipand coordination of the Spring Fair for many years.I also acknowledge the New South Wales Government'scommitment to celebrating and promoting multiculturalism. I am pleased thatthe Government was able to support the Riverwood Spring Fair with theprovision of a grant under the Celebrating Diversity Grants program, whichencourages cultural diversity and social cohesion.

Events like this would not be possible without sponsors, event coordinators,stall operators, and the thousands of local residents who pass through.I thank the event sponsors, coordinators and stallholders, and in particularRiverwood Community Centre. I particularly thank Karl Saleh, who hasbeen with the organisation for many years in a variety of roles andpositions. He is an outstanding individual who is, I understand, running for council again. It is always a pleasure to workalongside him and I thoroughly praise and respect his ongoing passion for theRiverwood community.The Riverwood Spring Fair is truly a highlight on our local calendar and I cannotwait to attend again next year in 2022.I thank Riverwood community services.