Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Gulmarrad Public School near Maclean turned 125 recently, and hundreds turned out to celebrate. Today the school has 201 enrolled students across eight classes. The celebration included many activities that were planned by a small group of dedicated people. One of the main activities was a colouring-in competition for the younger students, which was inspired by the school buildings and history. I would like to thank Ms Connolly for her work in the artwork competition; Mrs Niemiec, who created a bookmark for all the students; and Mrs Wallace, who did great work with the coordination of all of the activities and events for the celebration. Their commitment and dedication was appreciated by all of the students and their families.

There were many other people involved in the school that I would also like to thank: principal, Robyn Urquhart; assistant principals, Dorothy Munro and Rachel Armer; teachers, Jenny Wallace, Gaye Clifford, Glenn Munro, Kim McGrath-Moran, Anna Menzies, Dave Stanger, Paul Oehlmann Coleman, Danielle Connolly, Sandy Sonter and Cheryl Miani; administrative staff, Patricia Woodhouse, Colleen Cooper and Marianna Jorgensen; learning support officers, Irene Carrasco, Melody McIntosh, Debbie Gannon, Karen Niemiec, Allison Kelly and Darrell Skinner; and volunteers Patricia Powell, Sue Todd and Kathryn McMullen. I thank them for all of their great work in acknowledging this important day in the school.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the fantastic achievements of George Cooper. He is a year 6 student from Eltham Public School in my electorate. George has represented the North Coast in boys' softball for the last two years. This year he was selected to represent New South Wales in the primary school sports softball team, and travelled to Melbourne last week to take part in the nationals. He has great ability in a number of positions, which earnt him his selection. In the New South Wales team, George played in the important position of catcher. The team did extremely well in the competition, coming equal first with the Queensland team, and were crowned national champions. I know George's family and the students at Eltham Public School are very proud of him, and I also would like to extend my congratulations to George on this wonderful result.

Recently the Grafton Historical Society celebrated its 50th birthday at its current location. The Museum and Research Room is located in a heritage listed residential dwelling known as Schaeffer House in Fitzroy Street, Grafton. This was the home of Grafton's first architect, Mr Frederick William Conrad Schaeffer, and it was built around 1900.

In 1931, Sir Earle Page suggested the establishment of a historical records museum, which was named the Clarence River Historical Society. Between 1931 and 1966, there were many historians who had a huge array of research and information, but none of the information was stored in a central location. After changing hands several times, the building was purchased by the then Grafton City Council in 1966. It was fully restored and became the home of the Grafton Historical Society. Two men who were very instrumental in the acquisition were Joe Fahey and Bill Dougherty, who both attended the celebrations last week. At the time of the purchase, these local businessmen were both aldermen on the council. The deputy mayor at the time was Mr Neville Weiley, and he is credited by Joe and Bill as being the driving force behind the society.

The Museum and Research Room is open three days a week between 9 am and 4 pm and is manned solely by volunteers. These men and women do a fantastic job in cataloguing and maintaining the history of Grafton and the wider Clarence Valley. I would like to thank them all for their fantastic community spirit and the work they do. These include: president, Patricia James; vice presidents, Mavis Robertson and Ruth Heawood; secretary, Sandra Davidson; treasurer, Anne Ellem; public officer, Bill Dougherty; roster clerk, Suzanne Gibson; committee members, Cheryl Barnes, Nita Childs, Suzanne Gibson, Judy Johnson and Bruce Wicks; the honourable solicitor, Joe Fahey; recorder/librarian, Roz Palmer; research officer, Hazel Lawson; and newsletter production officer, Ruth Heawood.

As summer approaches many of our community will volunteer their time and energy to help keep our communities safe. I would like to acknowledge the great work that our rural fire services do over the summer months. Northern Rivers has already seen a number of bushfires, and, as we move into summer, our rural fire services will respond to more. At the moment I know there is an A crew of 15 to 20 firefighters who are working to contain a fire near Woodburn. Many of these individuals would have previously volunteered their time fighting fires near Pimlico and South Ballina. I would like to thank these hard-working people for donating their time, as well as thanking their families and their employers, who allow them to miss work for the good of the community.