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

Grafton's Hockey Association is the ideal nursery for young, aspiring players. In the last few weeks, there have been a number of outstanding players selected for high honours. Tyler Gaddes and Jake Lambeth have both been selected in the School Sport Australia under-16 team to tour Europe next year. Toby Power was ranked in the top two umpires at the School Sport Australia under-16 championships, being chosen to umpire the final. Not to be outdone, Justin Alford won a record sixth-straight gold medal at the Hockey Australia Country Championships playing for the New South Wales Country side. He was also rewarded by being selected in the Australian Country Representative Squad to play New Zealand. Tiahnee Cropper was named in the Australian Country under-21 women's team. This team will compete in the upcoming Oceania Pacific Cup in Fiji. Rounding off the list are six juniors, all of whom have been selected to represent New South Wales at the Hockey Australia under-13 national championships in Hobart in October. They are Keaton Stutt, Jesse McGarvie, Josh Perry, Mackenna Ensbey, Jemma Whelan and Breah Fischer. I congratulate all of the players and wish them all the best at their respective tournaments.

Maria Felton has received a Commendation for Brave Conduct from the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove. On 30 October 2013, on her way to work, she came across a head-on collision between a car and a ute on the Lawrence Road. The car was smoking and Maria could see flames starting to spread. She immediately called triple 0 and then rushed over to the ute to see what she could do for the driver trapped behind the wheel. The doors of the ute were badly damaged. Maria couldn't get them open, so she tried to pull the driver through the broken window. Thanks to the help of another motorist who had stopped at the scene, they managed to get the driver, Reece Campbell, out of the window. Shortly after that the car, which had been smoking, blew up into a huge fireball. Sadly, a young woman in her 20s did not survive the accident. Maria was nominated for the award by Reece's uncle, Stan Bright, to show his appreciation for her actions on saving his nephew that day. Thank you and congratulations to Maria.

Last week, Muay Thai boxer Jemma Lee Byard from Corindi Beach became the new Queensland WBC Muay Thai Super Feather Weight Champion. Jemma became the champion after defeating her opponent over five rounds at the Battle by the Bay event in Cleveland, Queensland. Jemma now trains out of the Boonchu Gym with Nick and former world champion John Wayne Parr. Jemma is a highly regarded fighter with an impressive record to date of 11 fights and eight wins. I am sure that Jemma's parents, Tracey and Mo, are proud of their daughter's achievements, as is the rest of her family. I congratulate Jemma on winning the title, and I wish her the best in the future.