House debates

Monday, 21 November 2016

Statements by Members

Northern Territory Football League

1:39 pm

Photo of Luke GoslingLuke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Last week I was proud to attend the St Mary's Football Club in Darwin, in my electorate, where we had a celebration to acknowledge a record for the Northern Territory Football League when Iggy Vallejo, from the St Mary's Football Club, played his 329th game. As I said, that is a record for the NTFL and it is a real credit to Iggy, who is an outstanding Territorian and a great Australian. He is not only a talented football player—he is a strong defender and he can attack—but also a great bloke, as is his brother Chopper. I want to acknowledge the Vallejo boys, who are from a great family—the Vallejo family.

Iggy wears the No. 4, which was given to him by Bruno Long, brother of AFL legend Michael Long. Iggy Vallejo was a Clontarf mentor and is now with the Stars program. The Stars program, like Clontarf, involves working with young Aboriginal kids at school, keeping them engaged with school and mentoring them so that they can get through school, but the Stars program is for young women. I went to the graduation of the Stars program at Casuarina Senior College with the member for Lingiari last week. The program is amazing, as is the work that they do, and I commend the program to the House.