Barry Haase (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to focus the attention of the chamber and to congratulate a fine young constituent in my electorate of Durack: Mrs Philippa Rumble, from the small farming community of Mullewa. Philippa, or Pip as she is affectionately known, was crowned the Royal Agricultural Society of WA's Rural Ambassador 2012 on 11 August this year. That occurred in Perth. Pip was judged on personal presentation, agricultural knowledge, general rural knowledge, her two-minute verbal presentation, interestsin community organisations and her background in rural interests.Nominated by the Mullewa District Agricultural Society, Pip won the Mid West Zone and was awarded the state's honour after outperforming candidates fromthe Central, Eastern, Great Southern and South West zones.

The Rural Ambassador c ompetition is a n ational competition aimed at young r ural a dults who have a passion for living and working in rural communities. The competition aims to discover the next generation of rural leaders who have the desire to represent and promote their community, their region and their state.

Born in Geraldton, and after spending time in, amongst others, Port Hedland and Gascoyne Junction, Pip and her husband Phillip moved to Mull ewa in 2009. At 24 years of age Pip is the mother to two boys: Hunter , aged two, and Max , aged one . S eeing the need for reliable day care in her town, Pip opened a rural family day care centre and works four days a week between the hours of 8 am and 4.30 pm. Pip speaks of her pride for her community , and states , ' Mullewa is the most beautiful town in the world. ' According to Pip, the community spirit is tangible.

Pip is an inspiration for her generation and future generations. Pip shows that living in the country is not, should not and will not ever be a barrier to people reaching their full potential. Given the nature of the ambassador's role, this year will prove to be an other great experience for Pip as it encompass es t he real meaning of community and the spirit of the bush.

With a population of around 1 , 000, Mullewa can once again boast a s tate winner in the Rural Ambassador Awards . F ormerly known a s the Miss Showg irl c ompetition , Mullewa previously had a s tate winner in 1983. Mullewa is a broadacre-farming and also sheep-farming area. These days it is part of the City of Greater Geraldton and is a great spot to visit during spring, with the wildflowers on display.

Pip Rumble is a positive role model for not only her local community but also for the wider agricultural community of Western Australia , and I wish her all the very best when she represents Western Australia in mid -2 013 in New Zealand for the t rans-Tasman final.

So I, and all the community of the Mid West, especially Mullewa, wish her all the very best.