Henry Pike (Bowman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week was of course National Volunteer Week, an opportunity for communities across Australia to engage in an annual celebration of volunteering, shining a light on local heroes and their wide-ranging contributions to Australian society. In my community of the Redlands, we are blessed to have so many great organisations that benefit from the contributions of thousands of dedicated volunteers. In fact, the latest census reveals that an amazing 17,682 people in Redlands undertook volunteering work in the last 12 months—an amazing figure given the age profile of my electorate.

Volunteering Redlands, an arm of STAR Community Services, is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to build strong communities through volunteering and providing a range of resources, services and support to locals. Volunteering Redlands put on their annual community celebration of volunteers at the Raby Bay Harbour Park last Saturday, a fantastic event showcasing many of the great volunteer organisations that contribute to life in the Redlands. Organisations represented at the event included Royal Life Saving Society Queensland, Redland Museum, Redland City Council, Redland SES unit, Mission to Seafarers Brisbane, the Cage Youth Foundation, Rotary Club of Cleveland, Capalaba Rotary Club, Rotary Wellington Point, the Zonta Club of Wynnum Redland, the Freedom Hub, U3A Redlands district, Make-A-Wish Australia Bayside branch, RedFest, Redlands Modern Country Music Club, the Sycamore School, and the Redlands Community Centre, just to name a few. It was a great event that even included an amazing laser light show to conclude the festivities.

I was honoured to present the volunteer of the year award recipients with their certificates at the community celebration event. This year's winners were Kym Courtenay of Night Ninjas, a terrific local charity aimed at supporting people experiencing homelessness; Carolyn Delaney from STAR Community Services, who provide a range of aged-care services, including home-care packages, NDIS and disability support services across South East Queensland; Karen Franklin of Make-A-Wish Australia, who works tirelessly to create hope and joy for those who need them most; Terry Moran of Circle of Men, an important group that helps create an environment for wellbeing and happiness of men in aged-care facilities; and Suzie Tafolo of the Redlands Coast Chamber of Commerce, who undertake so much work to advance our city and promote economic development and job creation.

Congratulations to all those who were honoured at the celebration of volunteering event. Congratulations to Volunteering Redlands and STAR Community Services team for putting on another extraordinary event, and thanks to all the Redlanders who give up their time, energy and commitment to volunteer to make our community an even better place to live.