Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I'd like to acknowledge and congratulate the Grafton City junior cadets. They attended the Australian Fire Cadet Championships in Sydney and were placed first in Australia. The RFS and the Rural Fire Service Association host this event, which sees cadets participate in lifelike scenarios designed to test their skills, initiative and safety procedures. The junior team members were Chelsea Almond, Bianca Almond, Hayden Almond, Andrew Hughes, Cooper Gilkinson and Eli Masters. The trainers are Captain Michael Rogan, Joshua Rogan and Denise Pavlovic. Coordinator Jacinta Taylor was the team coordinator, and Tania Preen assisted in the championships. It's a fantastic outcome to come first in Australia. Michael said the cadets' dedication to training, performance and leadership was outstanding. I congratulate them on their success.

I want to congratulate the Mallanganee Rural Fire Brigade for 70 years of serving the community. They recently held a celebration dinner at the Mallanganee Memorial Hall, where the NSW RFS district manager Daniel Ainsworth presented a number of awards.

One was awarded posthumously to John Holmes, who sadly died at the Bean Creek fire front on 15 October. His partner, Mavis, accepted the commissioner's commendation certificate on John's behalf. John was both the Northern Rivers and the North Eastern senior deputy captain, and was recognised for his diligent service and unwavering commitment to the Mallanganee Rural Fire Brigade and the community for more than 50 years. Mavis was also awarded a commissioner's commendation certificate for her 37 years of service to the Mallanganee RFS, and the Mallanganee captain Neville O'Malley also accepted a plaque for the unit.

Today, they have 13 active members: Captain Neville O'Malley, Larry Ferguson, Daniel Grayndler, Sheridan Grayndler, Mikaylah O'Malley-Grayndler, Robert Lane, Greg Baker, Jason Gogerly, Andrew Barrett, Peter Dobbins, Leanne Robertson, Bruce Robertson and Bradley Martens. The reserve members for the unit are Heather O'Malley, Mavis Goodlad, Trevor McDonald, William Hewetson, Tony Pullen, and Graeme and Denise Wirth. The members in training are Heath O'Malley-Grayndler, Leanna Laughton and Jack Forbes at the moment. I thank the RFS for their service to the community over 70 years.

I'd like to congratulate Jimmi Matthews from Lismore. He's a stand-out sportsman. He proudly represents his school St Carthage's across a diverse range of sports, and he earned a well-deserved spot in the NSWPSSA football team, which achieved a remarkable second place at the School Sport Australia national championships in Victoria recently. In 2023, Jimmi also extended his representations in the Lismore diocese in both football and athletics, and he was a key member of the Polding football team. Notably, he contributed to the Gold Coast Knights team's international journey to England, where they competed against football giants including Everton and Liverpool. He's been signed by the Gold Coast United under-14s for next year. His mother, Brodie-Lee, and father, Troy, and all of their extended family, are extremely proud of Jimmi's attitude on and off the football pitch, and I wish him all the best.

I'd like to thank the Nimbin Rural Fire Brigade on their 70th anniversary held in October and the recipients of long service medals and clasps for service between 10 and 45 years. Congratulations to Charlie Cohen for 45 years of service, to Brad Soward for 44 years of service, to Greg Soward for 44 years of service and to Janet Soward for 33 years of service. I'd also like to congratulate William Nissan, Chris Anderson, Yarrow Hadley, Raven Hadley, Paul Scott, Oscar Bradley-Gunn, Maxim Pike and Matthew Cook for 10 years of service; Tim Greene and Matthew Steel for 13 years of service; Marcus Manstcheff and Lisa Costello for 14 years of service; and Bernard Rooney for 15 years of service. These 17 members' active service totals 282 years of service to the community.

The brigade was formed in 1953, when a small group of community members raised money for a firefighting appliance, and it now boasts 54 members and is very active within the community. I thank all members, past and present, for their commitment. They literally have saved lives through their decades of service to our community, and I congratulate them on their 70th anniversary.