Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will certainly be passing on the member for Shortland’s comments to the member for Dobell. They will not find a better champion on the Central Coast than he has proven to be as their member. I do not doubt that he will be responding in due course.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and acknowledge the fantastic contribution that my local soccer clubs, Balcatta Soccer Club and Stirling Lions Soccer Club, make to my local community in the electorate of Stirling. These two clubs, along with many other sporting clubs across the electorate, do a tremendous job in keeping our young people active, healthy and motivated, and, as well, in bringing the different ethnic communities together. Young players at both clubs learn important social skills, such as how to work together in a group and how to be a productive member of a team. They also learn about sportsmanship and about how to deal with success and failure or winning and losing—something which the opposition could also use a few lessons on.

Balcatta Soccer Club has enjoyed much success over the years, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate their under-14 Junior Premier League division 1 team on being named last season’s champions under the guidance of coach Mark Gillians and assistant coach Salvador Bravo. Well done! I would also like to congratulate the club president—and a good friend of mine—Mr Pat Luca, on making the progressive decision to open up the club to both boys and girls, giving all young people the chance to play in the Junior Premier League. The club was formed in August 1977 after a group of friends who would kick a soccer ball around the local park at the St Lawrence church on Main Street, Balcatta, suddenly found themselves with a growing number of players and spectators. A committee was formed with a majority of members originally from a small town in Sicily called Ucria. They chose to name the club after a landmark of their native land—the volcano Etna. With preparations complete for their entry into the Soccer Federation of Western Australia, they named their club the Balcatta Etna Soccer Club.

Stirling Lions Soccer Club, now under the leadership of president Don Evans, was started by Stirling’s Macedonian community in the late 1970s and was known as West Perth Macedonia. Over the years the club has been through a number of name changes, eventually—in 1999—changing it to the current name, Stirling Lions Soccer Club, so they could embrace the whole community of Stirling. The club has produced three Australian representatives including Robert Zabica, who played in the 1994 World Cup qualifier against Diego Maradonna’s Argentina in front of 80,000 spectators; Stan Lazaridis, formerly with West Ham and who has represented Australia on a number of occasions; and Troy Halpin, who has represented Perth Glory and Australia. With numerous league titles and cup wins, it is understandable why the club prides itself on its many achievements.

But the greatest achievement of both these clubs is the important part that they play within the community of Stirling in bringing friends and families together and creating a real spirit of pride in the area. I believe that competition is important for children to learn important values, such as sportsmanship and fair play. Competition not only teaches young people to cope with sport but also helps them to deal with the inevitable ups and downs that life itself will ultimately offer.

Not everyone has an easy start in life so, whilst I am on my feet and have this opportunity, I would like to acknowledge the fantastic work that Amy Benson and her team at the Edmund Rice Centre in Mirrabooka do with young people in sport. As the multicultural sport and recreation officer for the centre, Amy has put together a sports development program for young refugees and migrants as well as for our local Aboriginal community. This program provides these young people with sporting opportunities that may not normally be available to them. It works to build their confidence and to create a sense of community. For our new and youngest refugees and migrants, sport is a great introduction to the Australian way of life and will help enormously in their integration within their school and with their fellow classmates.

The ultimate goal of the sports development program is to see these young people gaining the confidence and skills to eventually join other local clubs such as Balcatta Soccer Club and Stirling Lions Soccer Club. This participation also gives their friends and families the chance to become part of the wider community and provides one of the keys to their future prosperity and to local harmony. I once again congratulate Amy Benson and the Edmund Rice Centre, Pat Luca and Balcatta Soccer Club, Don Evans and Stirling Lions Soccer Club as well as the many hardworking volunteers who work with them to make this contribution to the Stirling community. (Time expired)