Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

It was a real privilege to attend and present awards at the Beecroft Rotary Youth Awards. These awards are an imitative of the Beecroft Rotary Club as a way of encouraging and celebrating the remarkable young people in our community who have gone above and beyond for the future of our community.

I presented the Youth Volunteer of the Year award to Chenuli Jayasekara, a year 12 student at Loreto Normanhurst. Chenuli is simply outstanding in her commitment to community service. From supporting a local orphanage in Sri Lanka through to volunteering in our community with St John Ambulance, she's made service part of her everyday life. Young Sportsperson of the Year award was shared between two very impressive young people, Sarah Hicks, who's in year 11 at Mount St Benedict College, and Mayher Singh, who's in year 12 at Turramurra High School. Both have shown real dedication and perseverance in their sporting pursuits, balancing their studies with training and competition. Young Journalist of the Year was awarded to year 12 student Mia Burdack, who, I have no doubt, we'll be hearing lots more from, covering groundbreaking stories and shedding light on local heroes in the years ahead.

The performing arts were well represented, too, with Ella Beattie and Anita Trairattanasirikul, both in year 12 at Loreto Normanhurst, jointly awarded Young Performing Artist of the Year. As shadow minister for the arts, I want to see the pipeline of the development of young artists being particularly healthy, so it's wonderful to see Ella and Anita showing off their talent on the world stage. In the world of STEM, Emma Peters from Mount St Benedict College took out Young Person in STEM of the Year. In a rapidly changing world, when we hear stories of fewer students undertaking STEM subjects, young people like Emma give us confidence that there will be a generation of scientists, engineers and innovators stepping up.

Young Environmentalist of the Year was awarded to Annaliese Dunn, also from Mount St Benedict College, reminding us that protecting our environment starts young and starts locally. Young Entrepreneur of the Year was awarded to Ruhaani Chadha, who's in year 11 at Mount St Benedict College. Creativity and drive in our people should be recognised, as people like Ruhaani will be the problem solvers of the next generation.

Sanuki Fernando, a year 11 student at Cheltenham Girls' High School, was named Young Changemaker of the Year for her advocacy and leadership. Sanuki is the kind of student who reminds us what it means to stand up for others and work towards lasting change. Young Creator of the Year went to two outstanding people, Joanna Cheng from Cheltenham Girls' High School and Ava Muir from Loreto Normanhurst. Their creative talents are a clear local stand-out, and I hope they continue to contribute their creativity to our local area and arts scene.

Finally, the Bill Grant Memorial Award for Future Educator of the Year was presented to Benjamin Jesperson, a year 11 student at St Leo's Catholic College.

Benjamin's passion for learning and his commitment to helping others show he's already on the path to inspiring the next generation of learners. Congratulations to the Beecroft Rotary Club, and particular congratulations to Daniel Dummer, their retiring president, and also to Isha Deodhar, who is about to take on the reins.

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