David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer ) Share this | Hansard source

I recently had the pleasure of attending the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Nepean Athletics Club at St Marys Band Club. Nepean Athletics has a long and proud history in my local community. The club was first formed in 1961, with the assistance of St Marys Senior High School. Built on the efforts of its volunteers, the club has grown from strength to strength over the last 50 years, supported by donations, working bees and the skills of local seamstresses.

Nepean Athletics has been a nursery for some fine athletes over the years, many going on to represent the Nepean region at a state and national level. By the late 1980s, Nepean had four athletes selected in the first World Juniors team: Mark Garner, Michelle Keys, Ian Garrett and Stephen Perry. Since then, Nepean Athletics has had at least one athlete in most of the World Juniors teams. Some of the strongest local competitors from our region over the years have included Linda Coffee, Susan Knapton, Michelle French, Stephen Hadfield, Brenda MacNaughton, Bekie Lee and Brook Keys.

Nepean Athletics can also proudly claim three local athletes who went on to represent Australia in the Olympic Games: Ian Garrett, Nick A'Hern and Mark Garner. Ian and Mark also represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games, along with fellow local athlete Bev Hayman. The club was also proudly represented at the Paralympics by visually impaired local resident Ed Holicky. Local residents Amber Menzies, Greg Hunt and Jason Zabiello also went on to achieve success at the international level following their time at Nepean Athletics. These are fantastic achievements of which I know our local community is very proud.

A strong team of veteran athletes currently represent our region through Nepean Athletics on a state, national and international level. These athletes include Heike Forth, Gabie Watts, Belinda Westcott, Annette Tillman, Michelle French, Robert Osborne, Ken Porter, Vanessa Beddie, Anthony Butt and Sally Agius. I congratulate these athletes on all their success in recent years.

Over the past 50 years, dedicated volunteers have been the backbone of Nepean Athletics, doing everything from organising fun runs to staffing barbecues. In particular, I congratulate and thank secretary and fundraiser Evelyn Stark, who has committed 22 years to Nepean Athletics. Along with her husband Phil, now vice-president and fundraiser, Evelyn has made an invaluable contribution to our community through her involvement in Nepean Athletics. For many, Evelyn has long been the face of Nepean Athletics in the broader community.

I also acknowledge and thank treasurer Ron Keys, who has devoted over 25 years to building the sport of athletics in our region. At the age of 80, Ron never misses a BBQ fundraiser or an opportunity to share his coaching skills. I congratulate Nepean Athletics on this fantastic 50-year milestone.

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