Carol Berry (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to recognise Skye Leicester, who last month was named Wingecarribee Shire Council Citizen of the Year for her 16 years of service improving outcomes for local children and young people. Skye's dedication to these causes is driven by her personal experience with youth mental health challenges and a commitment to early intervention. As President of the Bowral District Children's Foundation, Skye has been an outstanding leader. She has transformed the volunteer-run charity into a professionally managed organisation, and she's played a key role in the foundation, raising and distributing over $2 million to support children's health and wellbeing. Skye has led initiatives that have reduced hospital wait times, created permanent clinical roles and expanded school based mental health programs. Her community engagement skills have been critical to fostering collaboration between hospitals, schools, donors and service providers. Skye is widely respected and admired for her strategic leadership, her extraordinary energy and enthusiasm, her great generosity, her compassion and her smiling face and sense of humour. I had the great pleasure of meeting Skye in October last year, at the iconic Bowral Long Lunch, a major fundraising event for the Bowral District Children's Foundation, and also at this year's Australia Day celebrations in Berrima. I thank Skye for her wonderful work that has delivered and continues to deliver widespread and long-lasting benefits for families in her community.

I rise today to recognise Gill Truman, a woman who lives in Bowral and who runs the not-for-profit organisation MotorOn. Gill was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2012, when she was just 30 years old. She was on maternity leave at the time, nursing a four-week-old baby and looking after her two-year-old son. Three years later, a group of her high-school friends established MotorOn in a collective effort to show their love and support for Gill. Gill has turned her personal tragedy into highly successful advocacy. MotorOn has raised over $2 million for research into motor neurone disease over the past decade, with all funds raised going to Macquarie University for MND research. Motor neurone disease is a progressive neurological disease with no known treatment or cure. Messages from motor neurons gradually stop reaching the muscles, causing them to weaken and eventually stop working. While some people can live a long life with MND, the average life expectancy is 27 months from diagnosis. About 2,700 people in Australia are affected by MND, and every day two Australians die from this awful disease while another two are told they have it. Gill Truman has described her journey as a testament to the enduring power of friendship, purpose and community. I thank Gill and all those involved with MotorOn for their advocacy and hard work to find a cure for this terrible disease. Thank you.