Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Tim Fischer Tumbatrek is over for another year, and the walking and talking is done. The conversation and perspiration has ended. It is a great event, and it reminds us of the legacy that Tim Fischer leaves. He started this trek in 1985 as a way of promoting the tourism and the business opportunities in Tumbarumba shire. Now, of course, that's part of Snowy Valleys Council. It's soon to be demerged. But so many representatives of Tumut and Tumbarumba gathered there.

Prior to that, we had a very good meeting with Carlie Porteous and the Softwoods Working Group, Hyne and Visy, talking about the Walwa fire and the devastating impacts upon the forestry industry from that January incident. Then we had the dinner that night at the memorial hall, where the New South Wales Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Yasmin Cately, attended. I give her credit for the job that she's doing, particularly this week. It was great to join state MPs Dr Joe McGirr and Justin Clancy on the actual walk with Julia Ham, the Snowy Valleys' mayor, and with Paul Culhane, the Mayor of Upper Lachlan shire. We trekked 12.2 kilometres from the Bago forest to the Henry Angel campsite. We trekked to the Burra Creek, passing the side of the Hussell's Mill before joining the famous Hume and Hovell Track.

One of the morning highlights was seeing a crackle of cockatoos—that's the collective noun for cockatoos. There were six of the gang-gang cockatoos nesting. They were fantastic. We were also joined by the Consul-General of the Czech Republic, Hana Flanderova, and a German exchange student, Sophie, who's with Rotary International. It reminded us all about the importance of sometimes going and smelling the roses, the crisp clean air of Tumbarumba shire. There were people from right across the political divide, people with vastly different opinions. But there were 140 people trekking through the mountains. It was absolutely fantastic. We were joined by a large group of teenagers, mostly Tumbarumba High School years 11 and 12 students, but there was one apprentice there as well. All were just young people using the exercise as training for their mid-year Kokoda Trek expedition.

As I said, the annual dinner the previous night was also fantastic, as it gave people the opportunity, as Tim Fischer would want us to do, to gather and to talk about the things that are common to us. There's a lot going wrong in the world, and we all know that, whether it's the world, the nation or even locally. But when you can get together on something as great as the terrific Tumbatrek and talk about the things that we have in common, it gets you to realise that there is much more that unites as people than that which divides us.