David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 22 April I attended the Buddha's Birthday Multicultural Festival down at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour, run so well, as it is every year, by BLIA, Buddha's Light International Association; and Nan Tien Temple. There was a hiatus of a few years during COVID, so it was great to have everyone back at Darling Harbour for Buddha's birthday, a massive event attended by thousands of people. It highlights the importance of Buddhism and its contribution to our community. There was a great concert, stalls, meditation, a vegetarian food fair and much more. Thank you to Daniel Wu, President of BLIA; the venerable Abbess Man Ko, from Nan Tien; and everyone who made the event such a great success.

On 17 April I attended the meeting of the East Hills VIEW Club down at Revesby Workers Club. The ladies at the East Hills VIEW Club do a wonderful job. The club is affiliated with the Smith Family, and every year it raises thousands of dollars to support the education of girls, particularly from disadvantaged communities. It was great to attend the lunch and to hear the stories of the club. I thank the president, Jan McKenzie, and everyone at East Hills VIEW Club for the fantastic work that they do.

Down at Olds Park in Penshurst, St George Little Athletics is going strong. On Friday 28 April I attended its annual awards presentation at Club Rivers. Hundreds of kids are involved in St George Little Athletics. Numbers are up, which is great to see. It was terrific to be there, present some awards and meet with the executive. It was great to see the president, Karen Tuqiri; Theo Latanis, and indeed the entire Latanis family, who have a very outsized role in the club and won many awards on the night; and Geoff Lindner, who, with his characteristic professionalism, helped bring the event together in a very successful fashion. Thank you to everyone at St George Little Athletics for the opportunities that you provide to so many kids in our community.

On 29 April I attended the presentation evening for St George Junior Baseball Club at Club Grandviews in Peakhurst. St George is a great club. It has a special place in my heart, as my son was part of the club for a couple of years. It's a great community club offering baseball and T-ball, which is a less complex form of the game for little kids. It was really good to be down there. The club's origins go back some 40 years. It was terrific to see the secretary, Melanie Williams, and all of the parents, who put in so much work to make it such a fantastic club in our community.