Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On listening to these three-minute constituency statements, I have to say it has been a pleasure to stand here and listen to the member for Wannon, Hasluck, Macarthur—and Wright of course; I am yet to hear what he has to say—and their heart for their constituency. It has always been an honour for me to hear what they have to say, especially the member for Macarthur in his response to the loss of that greatly loved principal.

I want to talk to you today, Mr Deputy Speaker, about avenues of honour. I do not know what it is like in your electorate but in Victoria avenues of honour have played a major role in commemoration of World War I and World War II battles, particularly as they affected local communities. Quite often local communities were recruited into the one brigade, the one band. In any given battle, all of the men in that community may have lost their lives.

The avenues of honour with their trees each depicted an individual person who was lost in those battles. Some avenues of honour have been protected, cared for and enhanced; others have lost their glow. Yet still as I drive through small communities of my electorate in South Gippsland, I come across the beginnings of the avenues of honour that are still there.

What I am suggesting to you today, Mr Deputy Speaker, regarding the century of Anzac next year, is setting aside funds either for new Avenues of Honour—there is a two-sided part to this—for reconstruction or rehabilitation or for new Avenues of Honour, because the entrances to the towns have changed. In parts of your electorate where the new highway has changed, the highway comes into a different part of town and the old highway, where the Avenues of Honour were planted, are no longer the entrances. So the visitor to the town does not get the inspiration that is clearly about commemorating the Anzac spirit in World War I and World War II—and other wars that we have been a part of.

It is also a local celebration. We have our war memorials, we have our shrines of remembrance, but local communities have their Avenues of Honour and their memorials. I know when you were a minister in this regard, and I will be very quick, many of the memorials were rebuilt and I honour you for that and all those who were involved in that. However, this is a chance for us to set aside funds for each community to create a new Avenue of Honour or entrance to the community or to give the opportunity for local government and others to respond to the centenary.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Late last year it was my absolute pleasure to host the annual Southern Suburbs Volunteer Services awards ceremony. It was an opportunity to recognise 100 local volunteers, who were recognised for going above and beyond what a normal volunteer does. That is a hard one, because volunteers contribute so much in my local area. There are so many people in it. Whether it is providing services to the elderly, helping out at schools and kindergartens or improving the environment in our local area. There are so many. There were 100 local volunteers recognised at two ceremonies.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful guest speakers: Evelyn O'Loughlin from Volunteering SA and NT; Amanda Blair, an Adelaide personality who gave a very funny rendition of her role in volunteering with the CWA; and Jane Woodlands-Thompson, head coach of the Adelaide Thunderbirds. She did a great job. They talked about their role of volunteering.

The day was not about the guest speakers, it was about the many volunteers. I cannot go through all 100 of the volunteers but I would like to highlight some not because they were any better but because it shows the range of great volunteering. Rosemary Dunbar was requested by the Aldinga Community Centre to bring spinning, knitting and weaving classes to the centre, to give people the opportunity to learn these skills. She now has over 60 students and these skills have been enthusiastically received in her classes.

Adam Storey was one of the youngest volunteers. He works mentoring young people at the Noarlunga Downs Primary School, every week and will do so for two-thirds of this year. It shows that young people are contributing back to the local area, and he is going to continuously do it. There have been a number of students. The principal reported that there has been an attitude change, and he puts it solely down to the positive relationship with Adam that the young students have.

Alan Griffin OAM from the Southern Football League has been involved as a director of junior football and has had a wide range of responsibilities. He has taken on everything. He has worked with junior players, under 8s to under 18s. He has been exemplary and has inspired football clubs in the south to start primary school aged league for boys and girls. We have Tod Stokes, who volunteers for the Sammy D Foundation. He is a tireless volunteer and gives presentations to football clubs on how to ensure that parties are responsible and that there is not violence or alcohol fuelled violence. He also initiated the White Ribbon round in the Southern Football League. Clint Irvine is from the Noarlunga Little Athletics Centre, which has recently had to move. Clint has worked tirelessly to ensure that Little Athletics can continue to be available to kids in the southern suburbs and in Noarlunga. There are so many volunteers, I could not go through all 100. That is a small snapshot of the great talent we have in the south.