Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to honour the Australian Filipino Association of the Central Coast. The annual AFACC Charity Queen Quest was held last Saturday night. For 20 years, the local Filipino fundraisers have shown the heart of our social fabric on the Central Coast. I would like to acknowledge all of the contestants, including Michelle O'Beirne, Hazel Pormento, Ann Raad, Alida Hannah and Dewi Pertama. Our Charity Queen contenders are testament to the heartbeat of our local Central Coast community. This year, the contestants decided to support the wonderful Mary Mac's Place in Woy Woy and raised an outstanding $8,000. Mary Mac's provides 80 meals a day to people in need on the Central Coast, and the money raised by the Charity Queen contestants will help provide 1,600 meals for those who need it most.

Today I pay tribute to the 2016 Australian Filipino Association of the Central Coast Charity Queen, Madonna Arnusch, for all her hard work over the past 12 months. Thank you, Madonna, for all that you do for our community. I also acknowledge the 2017 Charity Queen, Michelle O'Beirne, and congratulate her on her achievement. I have no doubt that Michelle will be an outstanding advocate for our community. I thank the team—June Young, Perla Dixon and Christine Lawrence—for their dedication, their fundraising commitment and their commitment to the Central Coast and I thank the Australian Filipino Association of the Central Coast for embodying the heartbeat of our community.