Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to talk about two Defence Force related events in my electorate I participated in recently. The first was a visit a couple of weeks ago to the cadets in their regular training session down in Victor Harbor, in the southern part of my electorate. Twenty cadets attend once a week to do their training. They are a great group of young people, led by Sergeant Graham Coller and Sergeant Frank Cooper. They do a wonderful job each week in helping these cadets learn many skills—including drill, communications, first aid, navigation, orienteering and safe weapons handling. They are a lovely bunch of young people. It is a great thing for young people to do. It teaches them all sorts of skills. I am very supportive of what they do down there at Victor Harbor. Importantly, they learn how to become young leaders in our community. I pay tribute to this group of young people, and I urge more to get involved if they can. They plan next year to get over to Canberra for the Anzac Day service at the War Memorial, which I fully support. I will help in their fundraising attempts to make that trip possible. I acknowledge the cadets down in Victor Harbor and thank them for a very enjoyable evening.

The second event was this. In the week leading up to Anzac Day, on Monday, 20 April, I was fortunate to be part of a defence medal presentation in Mount Barker—in the centre of my electorate—to seven Australians who had served their nation with pride. It was a great initiative of the former government to recognise people who gave that commitment to our nation. It was an enjoyable morning tea with the seven people who received the medal. Army Warrant Officer Class 1 Carthew, who was from Keswick, helped with the presentation. Those who received the award were Darryn Maxwell, from Strathalbyn; Peter Simpson, from Strathalbyn; Richard Eylward from Goolwa; Lyn Gardiner from Yankalilla; Robert Schroder from Crafers West; Trevor Davis from Kersbrook; and James Kirk, from Macclesfield. They were all very proud. They had their families there. It was a lovely ceremony. It was a very well-designed and thought-through initiative that the previous government brought in, and I was very privileged to be part of that ceremony.