Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

():I'd like to recognise 17-year-old Nathan Herne from Lismore. Nathan recently raced in the Aussie Tin Tops, a support race of the famous Bathurst 1000. He came third overall and placed first in the TA2 class—an exceptionally exciting achievement. He was also part of the pit crew for Garry Rogers Motorsport during the main race.

Nathan was set to make his Supercars debut in this year's Bathurst 1000 as a wild card entry. Unfortunately, his superlicence dispensation was not awarded, which meant he couldn't make his debut. Whilst this was an extremely disappointing decision for Nathan, his family and the race crew turned their focus to the Aussie Tin Tops race. He said, 'It was an awesome experience to drive a car to the limit and to have a fair bit of fun.' Racing is in Nathan's blood, having kickstarted racing at the age of six in Karting. He has now burst onto the Australian motorsport scene with success in various categories, such as Formula Ford and TA2. Nathan has 28 career wins and 65 podiums out of his 123 races. Nathan, I know your parents, Stuart and Karen, and your two sisters, Bianca and Natasha, are very proud of you. Congratulations, and we are all excited to see where your career takes you.

I would like to recognise The Buckleys, a local band from Clunes, indeed the same village where I live, who are building an international audience following the release of their first album. The family trio—Sarah, 20; Lachlan, 19; and Molly, 17—have always had music in their blood. They started busking in Tamworth during a family holiday in 2011. Lachlan said when they were growing up playing gigs it was something that came naturally to them. After winning a few competitions, they decided to save for a trip to Nashville, Tennessee—incredible ambition and commitment to their goals. Sarah said it was great growing up with supportive parents willing to send them overseas to play. Their father, Mick Buckley, was a member of the very popular pub rock band The Radiators in the 1980s, and, Deputy Speaker, I remember them and I'm sure given your age you remember them too—a great iconic band. Mick has also proudly played the drums and piano at the Buckley shows and performances over the years. The group are signed to Petrol Records, the same company as INXS and other big-name artists. Their debut album, Daydream, had a 4.5 million reach on their virtual world tour, and their debut single, the title track of the album, 'Daydream', won number 1 on Australian country radio.

They recently had their first show back after COVID. The Queensland border opened at 1.00 am of the day of the show. They were waiting at the border to cross, drove two hours to stay in Brisbane, had three hours sleep, went to the airport, boarded the plane to Cairns, drove to the venue and made it just in time to play. That shows their commitment. Congratulations to the Buckleys on their new album, and we look forward to the next one.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.