Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate some of the brilliant citizens from my electorate of Boothby who were rightly honoured in this year's Australia Day honours. First amongst them is the Australian of the Year, Taryn Brumfitt. Taryn is an inspirational woman whose courage and authenticity has inspired millions around the globe to love their bodies. She also happens to live around the corner from me. Hi, Taryn! I'm sure Taryn will be an excellent Australian of the Year, and the Boothby community is so proud to count Taryn as one our own.

I would like to take this time to congratulate some of our local citizens and events, which also were given awards across Boothby this January. The City of Mitcham Citizen of the Year is Peter Cranwell. Peter and his wife, Nancy, have made an extraordinary commitment to their local and wider community since returning to Blackwood from Leigh Creek, in South Australia's outback, in the 1990s. As the project manager of the Climate Action Resources Expo, which was held in Blackwood in November, Peter brought together a host of speakers, along with workshops and displays, to raise awareness and share ideas on sustainable living. Peter and Nancy have also been long-time supporters of migrant families and international students, remote First Nations communities and residents of Minda House supported accommodation at Craigburn Farm.

City of Holdfast Bay Citizen of the Year is Cheryle Pinkess. As a member of the Brighton Church of Christ, Cheryle has been the driving force behind Grocer with a Heart—a local shop where people can get healthy food at little or no cost. Using connections with supermarkets, farmers and bakeries, Grocer with a Heart distributes fruit, vegetables and grocery items to people experiencing food insecurity. Many of their customers are ineligible for other charitable programs and are at risk of falling through the cracks. Cheryle has invited me down to visit Grocer with a Heart, and I look forward to seeing this fantastic operation.

The award for Active Citizenship went to the Rotary Club of Holdfast Bay. Since 2019, the club has run twice-yearly food drives in local shopping centres. In that time, it's estimated that more than $90,000 worth of food and household items have been distributed to people in need. Rotary Club representative Kim Harvey accepted the award. I joined them for their Christmas drive at Brighton Foodland last year, and the generosity of locals and the commitment of the club members was overwhelming. It was also quite a lot of fun.

Holdfast Bay Young Citizen of the Year is Hayley Hosking. Hayley is a role model for young and female surf lifesavers. She joined the Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club when she was a child, and the now 19-year-old has progressed to be vice captain of patrols, and has volunteered more than 400 hours on patrol in the 2021-22 summer season. In 2022, she was named the Youth Life Saver of the Year at the Surf Life Saving Australia National Awards of Excellence. Many congratulations to Hayley.

Our Holdfast Bay Local Hero is Bronwyn Watt. Bronwyn put together the Sister Love 27 Hour Spin FightMND challenge fundraiser. The challenge was held at the Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club to raise funds to support research into a cure for motor neurone disease after Bronwyn's sister was diagnosed with it in 2021. More than 500 riders participated, and Bronwyn raised an amazing $80,000 for the cause. Having worked in the fundraising field, I can tell you that is amazing for one event.

The Holdfast Bay Community Event of the Year Award went to the Youth Photographic Exhibition. It was presented to Phil and Kathy Holdgate from the Somerton Park Rotary Club, which instigated the exhibition held at the Bay Discovery Centre last year. Local schools and young people were encouraged to get involved and use photography as a way to explore their creativity around the themes of nature and the environment. The two-week exhibition showcased more than 100 photos taken by 67 primary school students and attracted more than 1,700 visitors to the Bay Discovery Centre.

Thirdly, I'll talk about the City of Marion. The City of Marion Citizen of the Year is Pat Munden. Pat is known affectionately as the matriarch of the Cooinda Neighbourhood Centre, having volunteered at the centre for 40 years. Pat also received a commendation in the South Australia 2023 awards for active citizenship. The commendation was presented at an Australia Day Council South Australia ceremony hosted by the Governor of South Australia, Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson AC.

The City of Marion Young Citizen of the Year is Zane LeBlond. Zane is an active member of City of Marion's Youth Collective Committee, volunteering his time and social media skills to many events for local young people. The 18-year-old is also involved in the Channel 44 community television documentary on the Skate Daze 2 event and the stage 2 opening of the Capella Drive Reserve at Hallett Cove. He facilitated workshops for the Youth Collective Committee at their Voice It! report. I have had the pleasure of meeting Zane, and I have to say, he is indeed very impressive.

The City of Marion Sports Person of the Year award went to Jamie Morgan. Jamie is the director of the juniors and seniors at Plympton Football Club, and he played an instrumental role in the mighty Bulldogs taking out the SANFL Junior Club of the Year for 2022, as well as helping the club win six premiership flags. The club thanks him for his very long hours and dedication to the cause.

The City of Marion Community Event of the Year is the Oaklands Estate Reserve parkrun. This was established in early 2022 by Denise Brendt, Kevin Thomson and a team of volunteers, and it has become extremely popular with local residents. The event is part of the parkrun movement, where volunteers run free five kilometre events for walkers and runners of all ages and all levels of fitness. Some come with dogs, some with prams and some as a family, every Saturday morning. The Oaklands Estate Reserve parkrun provides a positive outlook on fitness, and they also have a vision impaired guide for those who need. The great thing about parkrun is that you never come last. There's a tail walker whose job is to come last. Oaklands Estate parkrun is also my home parkrun on those rare occasions I can make it at 8 am on a Saturday morning!

We also had a number of Boothby members who were nominated for Australia Day awards, including Professor Emeritus Linda Barwick for significant service to the preservation and digitisation of cultural heritage records, Barry Presgrave OAM for significant service to veterans and emergency service organisation, the late Mr Neville Cordes for service to the community of Kangaroo Island, Keith Fowler for service to veterans and their families, Professor Emerita Ngaire Naffine for service to law and to the legal profession and Dr Joy O'Hazy for service to the community and to medicine. Dr O'Hazy is one of the founding member of Zonta's birthing kits program that saves the lives of mothers and babies in Third World countries around the world. I've been pleased to join her and Zonta for a birth kit packing day. Mr Rodney Smith was awarded for services to music education and Mr John Woodside for service to the construction industry.

I'd like to offer my congratulations to all of these amazing people, as well as those who were nominated. You've all achieved amazing things, and it's people and organisations like you that make our community what it is.