Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, right across this country, from school halls to sporting clubs and community centres alike, Australians gathered in support of the Cancer Council's Biggest Morning Tea. It was great to join my mate the mayor for Gawler, Nathan Shanks, at the Gawler Barossa Jockey Club for what may well have been one of the biggest and best morning teas anywhere in Australia. It was an incredible turnout. More than 350 people from across the community came together not just for a cup of tea and a slice of cake but also to hear the latest edition from Ray, our frequent emcee, and his terrible jokes to warm us all up before a heartfelt address from John and Vanessa Eason about their battles with cancer. Together the community raised around $15,000 for the Cancer Council. That is an extraordinary effort from the people of Gawler and the north because the reality is that this disease touches every single Australian family in one way or another. Almost one in two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85. Those numbers are surely confronting. Events like the Biggest Morning Tea remind us that there is also enormous generosity, compassion and resilience in our communities. One morning tea at a time, Australians are helping fund research, support services and prevention programs that save lives. While the fundraising total was fantastic, what stood out most was the spirit of the event, with people giving up their time to help others, volunteers making sure every table was full and every guest felt welcome and students from Trinity College North and Indi School Elizabeth doing a fantastic job cooking and serving some delicious food. What is a morning tea without great food?

I also want to acknowledge the many local businesses and community groups who supported the event through donations and prizes. They are businesses like Elders Real Estate, Knights Roses, Gawler Quilters and Bakers Delight all played their part, as did the Lions Club of Gawler. It may seem like a small gesture to some, but these contributions make a real difference. They help bring communities together to raise vital funds, and they help remind people facing cancer that they are not alone. This is what great communities do. When times are tough, they rally around each other. They remind us that, even in the face of something as devastating as cancer, there is still hope, kindness and generosity all around us. So to everybody involved in Gawler's Biggest Morning Tea: thank you for your generosity and your hard work, and thank you for helping build a future where fewer Australian families have to experience the pain of cancer. Let's start planning now to ensure that we have an even bigger and better success next year for the next Biggest Morning Tea.