Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Saturday I was delighted to attend the St Mary's Catholic Primary School fete in Concord. This school is part of the Parish of St Mary's and was established within the first church at Concord around 1850. The school provides an outstanding Catholic education for boys and girls from kindergarten through to year six. It is a wonderful school that is a central part of the Concord community. They have around 530 boys and girls enrolled at the school, and it is blessed with dedicated teachers and supporting staff, all of whom do an incredible job. The school is strongly supported by the Parish of St Mary's through the outstanding long-term leadership of parish priest Fr Paul Crowley.

I have a personal connection to the parish, with my youngest daughter, Annalise, having made her first communion at St Mary's.

The school's vision for learning is 'open minds, open hearts and open hands', and I am pleased to say that this approach to education ensures the students are able to achieve their full potential.

The aim of the fete was to help raise money for a planned multipurpose sporting facility for netball and basketball. The fundraising target was around $60,000, and I understand they have made great strides in that respect.

I was pleased to be in the company of so many friends on the day and I was thrilled to draw the winner of the colouring-in competition and to introduce the wonderful Nic DiCecco, who is a very talented local singer, an old boy of the school and the son of a very proud mother who is a teacher at the school, Vanessa DiCecco.

Congratulations should go to all the volunteers involved in the event, with particular mention to school Principal Anna Marsella, chair of the organising committee Yvonne Diab and Father Paul Crowley. I am already looking forward to next year's fete.