Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to share with this House the successes of a number of sporting clubs in my great electorate of Sturt. There are 130,000 registered voters in my electorate, and I am confident that almost every one of them is passionate about community sport. During my campaign, I met with residents from all across the electorate who were community volunteers dedicated to ensuring that their local sporting club flourished and dedicated to ensuring that kids had somewhere to play, somewhere to connect and somewhere where their physical and mental health could be curated.

One of those clubs is the Saints gymnastics club. The Saints gymnastics club has been around for more than 30 years. It currently trains in a gymnasium in the St Peter's Girls School in the far-eastern suburb of Stonyfell. It has over 300 members, who are dedicated to their craft and who revel in physical fitness and strength. The Saints gymnastic club regularly sends competitors to national and state competitions, where they have experienced immense success.

The Saints gymnastics club, is, however, currently looking for a new training facility in Sturt. The St Peter's Girls School is undertaking a long-planned and deserved redevelopment of their gymnasium, which means Saints needs to find a new facility. They are partnering currently with lots of different sporting organisations and community organisations across the electorate, and it is my sincere hope that they do locate a new home so that the kids and young adults who train, volunteer and spend time at the Saints gymnastics club can continue to do so long into the future. I also point out that Saints is an excellent training ground to support community volunteers. Many of the gymnasts who now are coaches at the club trained at the club and competed at the club, and they are now repaying the investment that was made in them.

I also wish to advise the chamber about the East Torrens Baseball Club. This is located in the suburb of Payneham in the electorate of Sturt. The East Torrens Baseball Club is unique for one particular reason. It has men's and women's competitions, but it also runs a competition known as Yard Ball. I had never heard of Yard Ball until I attended the East Torrens Baseball Club to have a look at their facilities and meet the community volunteers who keep the club going. Yard Ball is specifically designed for children who are autistic. It has a slower pace, with regular breaks and time out so that children who need to take a break—who need to have a break to be by themselves and regroup—can do so. I am proud that the East Torrens Baseball Club recently was the recipient of a grant from the Stronger Communities Program, which will enable them to continue to offer this program. Just because a child is autistic doesn't mean that they shouldn't have access to fun, physical health and mental health by virtue of team sport.

Finally, I would like to give a shout-out to my former council, the Norwood Payneham & St Peters Council, and congratulate them on the development of the Payneham memorial swimming pool. This is located in the suburb of Payneham. The pool has been closed for several years as the development is undertaken, but this is going to be an intergenerational asset. It will be an intergenerational asset that will stand the test of time and allow learn-to-swim programs and disability access, so children with disability needs can access the pool and receive hydrotherapy care—physiotherapy care in the water—and also learn to swim.

The Norwood Payneham & St Peters Council does infrastructure projects properly. It has dedicated design and a professional team of contractors, and the end result is going to be an intergenerational community asset that can be used by generations of families in Sturt for decades to come.

House adjourned at 17 : 00