Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I wish to highlight the achievements of athletes from my seat of Forrest who competed at the London Olympics. I congratulate each and every one of our athletes right across Australia. I recognise their hard work, their dedication, the countless hours on the road, the endless training sessions, the personal discipline, the sacrifice and passion to represent their country. Being selected to compete at the Olympics is a just reward for all of the athletes efforts.

Forrest is a regional and rural electorate of 12,500 square kilometres at least two or three plus hours from Perth itself, depending on where the athlete lives. For some of the athletes and their families it is hundreds of kilometres from top-level competition. What our athletes know is that the only way they can achieve in their athletic development, whether it is at a state, national or international level, is with the support of their equally dedicated families, their local communities, the veritable army of volunteers who run the sporting clubs and organisations, and their coaches. People need this level of support to help them fulfil their Olympic dreams.

For instance, dual Olympic basketballer Mark Worthington grew up in Australind just north of Bunbury. The 203-centimetre forward debuted in the green and gold in 2005 and has been in teams which have won two world championships and a Commonwealth games. The Boomers enjoyed several wins in London, including a thriller against the more fancied Russian team. They were eventually knocked out, despite a valiant effort against the USA Dream Team. Anybody who watched that game would understand when I say it was a valiant effort. It was the second time in a row that Australia had finished amongst the top eight teams in the Olympics. Throughout his career Mark has been strongly supported by his parents, Greg and Treena, his brother Trent, his sister Kate and of course his wife. South West Slammers coach Steve Hawkins has also played a pivotal role in Mark's career.

The south-west provided two Hockeyroos in the London Olympics, Kobie McGurk and Jayde Taylor. Kobie McGurk is from Collie and was competing in her second Olympics. Like most talented young athletes, Kobie shone in several sports before she focused on hockey. She has earned her reputation as one of the toughest defenders in the world. Kobie played in the final of the World Cup in Argentina in 2006. She won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, and has over 100 international caps. But none of this has come easily for Kobie. Like a lot of athletes Kobie has had to overcome injury and disappointment during her career. I acknowledge the determination and toughness that Kobie has shown to achieve at the highest level.

After five years on the national development squad, Jayde Taylor was making her last bid for Hockeyroo selection when she broke into the team two years ago. This was her Olympic debut. She had won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and, with her 25 international caps, Jayde is recognised for her intellect and composure in defence—critical if you are in a defensive position, certainly in hockey.

Lauren Reynolds originally came from the Bunbury BMX Club and was an inaugural South West Academy of Sport scholarship holder. Lauren actually found out she was going to the Olympics on the day she celebrated her 21st birthday. What a great present for a 21st birthday. It followed her continued success as an elite BMX rider which saw her finish in 2011 as Australia's top ranked female and in the top 10 in the world. The BMX events at the Olympics drew plenty of spectator interest and packed crowds saw Reynolds qualify ninth fastest in the trials. She unfortunately crashed out of contention but she was giving it her all in her third semi-final. What a great effort.

Bunbury's Alex Hagan was also an inaugural scholarship holder of the South West Academy of Sport. At the age of 21 Alex was one of the youngest members of the women's eight rowing team which came from nowhere in the qualifying regatta to book their spot at the Olympics. We all remember that. Alex had set her sights on rowing at the Rio de Janeiro games in 2016. The team and crew was put together only just months before the qualifying events for London. They basically thought they were not going to get to these Olympics in London and she was focusing on 2016. Next thing, the team was off to London. The team won the qualifying event and reached the final. What a great effort for such a recently formed team.

Chair of the South West Academy of Sport, Don Punch, CEO Bernice Butlion and the board were all really proud of both of these athletes for their selection in the Olympic team and they are equally proud of the support and the part the academy has played in providing real practical support for both of these young south-west Olympians. It is a real feather in the cap for everyone. Also competing at his first Olympics was Scott Sunderland from Busselton and the South West Cycle Club. He was a member of the men's three-man indoor cycling team sprint. His Olympics followed a world championship win with the team in Melbourne earlier this year in April. In a sport which is decided by thousandths of a second, his team came fourth to Germany in a bronze-medal ride-off.

We had Margaret River based archer Taylor Worth. He was Australia's only male archer competing in London. He had to overcome injury—like I said, so many of our athletes have so much to overcome—in 2010 to win the national championship. He was crowned the Australian Archer of the Year and has won a Commonwealth Games gold medal and a US Open individual gold medal. In London, Taylor was able to dispatch the world No. 1 when he stormed through to the final 16. The 21-year-old, who was ranked 44 in the world, had his dream ended by a Chinese competitor in a one-arrow tiebreaker. What a way to end your campaign!

In concluding, I want to mention our most prolific medal winner across both of the games: our middle-distance track Paralympian Brad Scott from Eaton. Brad was competing at his second Paralympics and won a silver medal in the 1,500 metres and a bronze medal in the 800 metres. I can see the members around the room smiling at this achievement. You would understand exactly what this means. Brad was also a silver medallist at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and a silver medallist at the IPC Athletics World Championships. I know Brad is looking forward to competing in the 2016 games in Rio, and he told me even prior to going to London that his goal was to get to the gold medal position. He is going to continue his very strong competition with one of the athletes who continues to get the better of him. Brad will not give up and has promised to bring his medals in to show me. I cannot wait to hear what Brad has to say about his experiences in London. I am really looking forward to that.

The outstanding commitment to excellence shown by all of our athletes and their continuing goals, whether they are personal or team performances, are things all of us in this place admire and congratulate. We recognise and respect that. Their feats and endeavours have inspired people in their home towns—the little towns around my electorate. They watch the Olympics and the young children—and even those of us of a more mature age—are wishing that it was us out there. Whether it is athletics, cycling or any other form of athletic competition at the games, we are with our athletes the whole time and we celebrate with them. We understand and share their frustrations but we never question their commitment. We certainly know what can be achieved by their discipline and sacrifice, and they always give over and above.

The athletes are also the biggest endorsement for sporting participation, particularly in regional areas. As athletes have often said themselves, they have been lifted up on their journey with help from the parents and the people involved in grassroots sporting clubs, the hard yards when they are just young athletes, the people who come out in the rain and in the sun, and of course their parents, who initially are the encouragement. They encourage their children into sport. They are involved with their children's sports. They are mum and dad taxis. Day in and day out they do not complain. They want to give their children the best opportunity they can.

In my part of the world, as the children develop they become owned by the community as well as the parents, and everybody shares in what they do and achieve and shares in the disappointments. We see that constantly. We see parents who become drivers and personal coaches, who wave flags behind the goalposts and who help with injury recovery. The clubs that provide our children with sporting opportunities are only made possible by the dedicated countless hours of volunteering to the clubs from coaching and training to just washing the jumpers. Even if it is cutting oranges, no job is too big or too small.

I really want to thank and acknowledge all of those who support every athlete across this nation, not just our Olympians but even the little kids who are just having a lot of fun and who are inspired by those of our athletes like our Olympians who compete at the highest level. Above all, I hope the joy of sport and the opportunity for a happy, healthy pursuit encourages all of us to continue to enjoy sport in this nation. I salute all of our Olympic athletes.

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