One of the best parts of representing Moore is getting to meet the people who keep our community going. The one thing I've learnt is that behind every successful community group there's usually a handful of people doing an extraordinary amount of work. They're the people who organise the volunteers, chase the funding, turn up early and stay back late. And I want to recognise a few of them today.

At Motion by the Ocean, Alanagh Godderidge and her team are helping older Australians and people with limited mobility enjoy our beautiful coastline. Through Cycling Without Age Sorrento, volunteers are taken out on specially designed bikes, giving them fresh air, conversation and a chance to reconnect with their community. Over in Edgewater, there's John Tostevin, who, well into his 80s, has helped transform a neglected patch of land into the Lakeview Contemplation Garden. Alongside Beth Hewitt and other volunteers, they've planted hundreds of native plants and created a beautiful space for the whole community.

At Padbury Community Garden, Sandy How, Sue and their fellow volunteers are bringing neighbours together through gardening, shared meals and a good old-fashioned working bee. I've taken my boys along, and I can definitely confirm they were far more interested in the worms than listening to their dad. Down at Mullaloo Beach, Mitch and Toni Sideris at the Mullaloo Community Inc recently organised the Great Spring Clean-Up. Families turned up with gloves and rubbish bags to help look after one of our most beautiful beaches. My boys came along to that one too. It is a great way to teach kids that looking after the environment isn't somebody else's responsibility. It's something we can all do.

I've spent the last few weeks visiting community groups receiving volunteer grants. From All Stars for Autism to Removing Barriers, to the North Beach Bowling Club, the Sorrento Croquet Club, Mullaloo Boardriders and the Mirabilis Collective, these community groups are doing different things, but they're all contributing to a stronger, more connected community. And across Moore, there are hundreds more examples. Our surf lifesaving clubs are keeping families safe. Our sporting clubs are giving kids somewhere for them to belong. Our environmental groups are protecting the bushland and the coastline we love.

Our volunteers make it all possible. But volunteering isn't always glamourous. There are meetings, minutes, paperwork, grant applications, fundraising and the occasional argument about who forgot the keys, yet people keep turning up because they understand something important. A community isn't just a collection of houses, roads, schools and shops. It is the people that bring these places to life. Governments can build facilities and provide funding, but they can't manufacture community spirit. That comes from the people who care enough to give their time to others. So to Alanagh, John, Beth, Sandy, Sue, Mitch and the thousands of other volunteers across Moore: thank you—you don't just live in our community; you're the reason we have one.