Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday, 25 October, I attended the Clubs SA 23rd annual Awards of Excellence presentation. Clubs SA is the representative body of community clubs throughout South Australia and includes social, sporting and service clubs. Firstly, I take this opportunity to acknowledge the valuable work that all of these clubs do in building community spirit, lifting community pride, building community cohesion and providing many local community services. Whether it is through the dining room facilities and the sports and recreation opportunities that they provide or through the many community events that they host, these clubs add so much value and life to the local communities that they serve.

Secondly, I take this opportunity to recognise the work of the thousands of volunteers who are associated with these clubs. It is because of their voluntary work that many of these clubs continue to survive and it is because of their voluntary work that they provide the services at affordable prices to many people who would otherwise be left disengaged from the rest of society. Like so many other volunteers, these people do what they can because they care.

What was clearly evident from the presentation night was that these clubs provide not only services to their own members but substantial support to other community groups and charities. I particularly acknowledge the support that Clubs SA gave to two young South Australians, James Greenham and Skye George, who recently walked the Kokoda Track as part of the Kokoda Youth Challenge. On the presentation night, they shared their incredible experience with guests. As someone who has not walked the track, I was very impressed with what these young people had to say about their experience.

I also take this opportunity to acknowledge Cameron Taylor, President of Clubs SA, and his board members: Bill Cochrane, Kym Flanagan, Darren Chandler, Loraine Donaghy, Steven Grant and a long time friend of mine, Bob Raphael. These people are all dedicated community people and Clubs SA has grown and strengthened because of the board’s collective leadership and wisdom.

Finally, I acknowledge the award finalists and individual category winners on the evening. They included: the Para Hills Community Club, the Clubhouse, the Murray Bridge and District Community Club, the Colonel Light Gardens RSL, the Renmark Club, the Marion Sports and Community Club, the Parafield Gardens Community Club, the Barmera-Monash Football Club, the Cobdogla and District Club, Racquets SA and the Salisbury North Football Club. All of those clubs do an exceptional job within each of their local communities. The club of the year award for a regional club went to the Clubhouse, located in the Barossa Valley.

For the Adelaide metropolitan area, for the second year in a row, the award went to the Para Hills Community Club. I am pleased to say that the Para Hills Community Club is located in the Makin electorate and is well known to me. The club was built by local Para Hills residents in the mid-1960s and over the years has consistently been a social focal point for locals. In recent years, under general manager Cameron Taylor and chairman of the board Chris Goldner and his fellow board members, the club has been substantially redeveloped and modernised, now providing a range of services which include a social outlet for locals, dining room facilities—and it is an excellent dining room facility that they have there—a meeting place for many of the local community groups and an over-50s group. The club is also the major supporter of many of the local sporting clubs. In fact, it is 12 months almost to the day since our Minister for Finance and Deregulation and I visited the club. In a recent speech that the finance minister gave, he had fond memories of his tour and spoke highly of the club. Clearly, the club made an impression on him. Once again, congratulations to the Para Hills Community Club and all of the other award winners on the night.