Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday evening my wife Bernadette and I had the honour of attending the annual ball of the Association of Maria SS delle Grazie and San Vittorio Martire at the Conca D’oro Classic Lounge in Riverwood. The ball is well attended by the local Italian community. The special guest and guest speaker was Morris Iemma, who spoke very passionately of his Italian roots and of the impact of the Italian community, particularly in the south-west of Sydney.

The Italian community has a proud history of charitable works and has been extremely generous to various groups. Last Friday night was no exception. The proceeds of this ball went to Hoxton Industries at Hoxton Park. For the benefit of members, Hoxton Industries is an organisation that provides supported employment opportunities for adults with mild to moderate intellectual or physical disabilities throughout the Liverpool, Fairfield and Campbelltown areas. The company was started some 37 years ago by a group of parents and has grown to employ in excess of 100 people. As is the case in similar organisations throughout the country, Hoxton Industries not only provides employment but also is an important part of the social lives of people with mental or physical disabilities. As I understand it, of those 100 people, a good many have now been working with Hoxton Industries for over 30 years. The company prides itself on establishing an environment that allows employees to reach their potential by achieving goals throughout their working lives.

I would like to pay particular regard to the President of Hoxton Industries, Robin Denswon, and the Vice President, Paul Thomas. Through their efforts and guiding the structure, they have made a huge impact on the lives of people in my electorate. I also thank everyone involved in organising the ball, particularly President Silvio Marrapodi and his wife Maria, Treasurer Dominic Urinso and Secretary Tina Furfuro. I would also like to mention the contributions of the representative from the Calabria Association of Australia, Pino Sgambellone, as well as everyone else who took the opportunity to contribute to making that night such a successful occasion which raised a significant amount of funds for a very worthwhile organisation. These funds will be spent on improving the working lives and social structures of people in our region. (Time expired)