David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to bring to the attention of the House a visit I made to the Taree Motorcycle Club at Old Bar on 29 August for the Australian dirt bike championships, which were enjoyed by 4,000 to 5,000 people from the region, interstate and internationally. The Taree Motorcycle Club was the recipient of a $70,000 Commonwealth government grant, which it used to upgrade the toilet facilities and the point-scoring board in its newly renovated grandstand. During my visit I was given a great tour of the facility by none other than Troy Bayliss, the international motorbike champion. He is a local and has been involved in the club for many years. Craig Nelson, the president, showed me the good value for money they achieved with their grant.

The races were incredibly exciting. I was disappointed to hear that Troy Bayliss in the finals on the following day had quite a bad crash. He is recovering back at home on the Gold Coast. All of the people in the electorate really value this club. It has been there since 1961 when it moved from the old airport nearby. They had the first Australian dirt bike championships there in 1966. They also have the Troy Bayliss Classic, which brings similar numbers to the area over the Christmas-New Year period. They have a twilight race as well.