Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I love debutante balls. Way back in 1983 I partnered by now wife of 29 years, Catherine, to her debut. She was then only 17. When I receive debs coming out at deb balls I always tell that story and say, 'Look closely at your partner, because you never know who you might end up with as a life partner.' Of course, that is all well and good; they all do that, and they all laugh. But one night at Leeton when I said that very thing the partner of one of the debs said, 'But she's my twin sister!' So, it does not always go down well.

Deb balls are more than just bows and ribbons, white dresses and tuxedos. In the Riverina, where it is certainly not considered antiquated and not considered old-fashioned, debutante balls do a very good job of raising funds for valuable causes. The Temora debutante ball is run by the Temora and District Education Fund, the president of which is the town's mayor, Councillor Rick Firman. This year's ball was the seventh annual black-and-white Debutante of the Year Ball. The ball goes back way further than that, but the Temora and District Education Fund itself has been running for seven years and raises up to $5,000 each and every year for that valuable fund. The fund enables youngsters to go out and get a great education, and many of them come back to Temora to put their newfound skills into play. This year the deb of the year was Courtney Wells, partnered by Josh Philp. Megan Castles, partnered by Malakai Hia, was the runner-up. It was a great night: 23 debs, and they all looked beautiful.

Then I went to the Leeton Debutante of the Year Ball. It is sponsored by Rotary, and of course we all know what Rotary does in raising valuable funds for worthy local causes as well as helping to eradicate polio throughout the world. Since Rotary had that wonderful vaccination campaign internationally, polio has been all but eliminated from all but three countries—Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan—and Rotary is working very hard to make sure that polio gets eradicated altogether. At the 64th Leeton Rotary Belle of the Ball, 16 beautiful debs and their elegant partners charmed a crowd of close to 300 at the Leeton Soldiers Club. The deb of the year was Gisella Mandaglio, partnered by Daniel Heath. What a great effort by organisers and all those people in the community, family and friends, who came out to make it such a special night.

I very much look forward to Saturday 3 October, when my wife, Catherine, and I will be hosting the Narrandera deb ball. Certainly I will tell my story again, and hopefully there will not be any twins there to get confronted by what I say!