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

I would like to give a big shout-out to some of the Lyne electorate's emerging mathematics wizards. The Newcastle Permanent Primary School Mathematics Competition was held in August, and 18,847 year 5 and year 6 students sat for their 35 questions. I am pleased to announce to the House that there were several children from the Lyne electorate who shared first-class honours. I would like to give a big shout-out and congratulations to Sam Burke from Tinonee Public School, Quinlan Collins from Gloucester Public School, Leorah Newman from Old Bar Public School, Alexander Saville from Tinonee Public School—there must be something in the water or atmosphere of Tinonee Public School, as they are producing mathematics wizards—and Lucas Guiney from Forster Public School. We all know that science, technology, engineering and mathematics are at the core of so many opportunities in science, industry and the broader Australian economy. We need more of this support for STEM subjects. I would like to congratulate Newcastle Permanent for this great initiative.

During the break, I also had the opportunity to catch up with a lot of the arts world that's alive and happening in the Lyne electorate. I visited Peter and Christine Calabria's famous Artisans on the Hill at Mondrook. What a wonderful showcase of local artwork. It's an eclectic mix of woodwork, glasswork, jewellery and painting. It's really interesting to note that Artisans on the Hill also have workshops in woodwork and glassmaking. A lot of the arts that are now kept in the collections, particularly for woodwork and glasswork, are exhibited at Artisans on the Hill.

I also visited the Gloucester Gallery. Gloucester is a wonderful township, nestled in the Gloucester Valley. The art gallery there is working on the philosophy that art is for everyone. 'Art for All' is their motto. Since 1999, they have been having numerous exhibitions. I caught up with them and saw the recent Expressions of Interest artwork. There were six artists exhibiting and many great pastels and oils. There was also some amazing woodwork by Peter Erson-Smith that was on display. I would like to congratulate Kay McFarlane-Smith, Debra Ansell, Judith Hill, Clare Felton, Gwendolin Lewis and Peter Erson-Smith for their wonderful exhibits. It is really important that we support the arts. It's great for the enrichment of the artists and for people to get to enjoy the art. Well done, Gloucester Gallery.