Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is always a terrific opportunity, as we have heard from several of our colleagues across the chamber today, to speak about some of the positive stories in our communities, and it is in that vein that I would like to continue today.

It is important for us to recognise some of the great achievements of our local people, and I would like to kick the year off by highlighting the efforts of some of our local champions. Jamie Stone, from Upper Coomera, who has been named in the Australian hockey squad. I wish her all the best with her future playing for Australia and hope that she makes the Hockeyroos team for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and also the Commonwealth Games in 2018.

Another local sporting champion, from Loganholme, is taking on some of the best golfers Australia has ever produced in an effort to reach the 2016 World Blind Golf Championships. What is truly remarkable about this rising star is that he is taking on some of the players in the world, such as Karrie Webb and Yani Tseng. Glenn Niciejewski is a terrific guy, and I have met him on many occasions around our local golf courses—although I do not get to play as much as I would like these days—and ambassador for our local community. I wish him every success in reaching his goal of reaching the top eight, needed to qualify for the 2016 World Blind Golf Championships.

I would also like to congratulate two young scouts from the Beenleigh Scout Group, Matthew Perry and Ryker Hasenkam, for being awarded the coveted Grey Wolf Award. I hear both boys have worked hard to achieve this award, which is recognised as the ultimate badge for Cub Scouts.

I would also like to recognise the work of Mim Hopkins and her husband, Andrew, for their work in establishing a group for local seniors in Bethania. This group has become so popular that they will start a second group this year. The great thing about this group is that it caters for residents living in several aged-care communities around Bethania as well as for those who are still living independently. The group's success is a credit to Mim and Andrew.

Finally, I would also like to highlight some of the terrific achievements of the youth management team at the Beenleigh PCYC. They are tackling bullying head-on with their music video Come Back Home. Members of the youth management team said they wanted to do something about the problem, because nearly everyone had experienced or witnessed bullying at some stage in their lives. The group produced the song with the help of Jonathan Moroze to raise awareness about the impacts of bullying.

These young people are setting a wonderful example for other young people in our community, and I commend their efforts to address this important issue.