Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Kingsford Smith is home to one of Australia's largest Polish language schools. Each Saturday morning at the Polish School of Sydney in Randwick children and adults learn and develop their language skills. Language helps to build and maintain a connection with the culture, traditions and history of Poland. Around 180,000 Australians proudly claim Polish heritage, while 48,000 speak Polish at home. Some of our famous geographical landmarks reflect the names of Polish explorers and heroes—think of the Strzelecki Ranges, in the south-east of the country, or our tallest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko.

Since 2004, the Polish school's mission has been quite simple: to make language learning fun and beneficial. It was my pleasure to help celebrate the school's 15th anniversary and reaffirm that mission at a gala dinner in Little Bay on 3 November. We were joined by the Vice-Consul of the Republic of Poland in Sydney, Joanna Splocharska. The evening was an opportunity to recognise a schools achievements and look forward to the future. To Alicja Batorowicz and the board of the Polish School of Sydney I'd like to say, 'Gratulacje!' Congratulations on your 15th anniversary.