Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday I was proud to host the first ever Babies of Bennelong family fun day. Over a hundred families from across Bennelong gathered together at North Ryde School of Arts Community Centre to celebrate babies born across our community in the last 18 months. Families and kids from across the electorate had their faces painted, connected with local playgroups and health organisations, and visited stalls from community small businesses. As part of the festivities, we hosted a welcoming of babies ceremony, where we formally welcomed the newest and littlest members of our community. Some of them were really very, very little. We had babies as young as five weeks old that we welcomed to Bennelong with loud applause. Each family went home with a special certificate to commemorate the day, a gift bag full of goodies and a commemorative photo.

I'd like to thank Lyndal Howison, the state candidate for Ryde in the upcoming election, for her enormous efforts and help on the day. She emceed the event; she ran the reading event, where we read out little stories to the children; and she used her skills as a teacher really well. I'd love to thank Ryde District Mums, the Northern Centre, Johnson & Johnson, the Pharmacy Guild, My Gym at Top Ryde, Karitane, St John's Anglican church in North Ryde, Beyond The Book, ONE Smart Piano, Wu Kong, Bricks 4 Kidz, Globalart and of course all the families and lovely little children who joined us on the day. I look forward to making this an annual tradition and to celebrating many more babies and many more families in Bennelong.