Fiona Scott (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is fabulous to see here in the chamber a fellow traveller from Western Sydney in the member for Mitchell, a fellow enthusiast for local sport right across Western Sydney. I stand here today proud of nine wonderful young Australian athletes from our region in Western Sydney. These nine athletes have been working hard in their clubs. They have been working hard in their zones. Some of them have been working hard in their states, and some of them are even representing Australia at national levels.

I am announcing today that these nine individuals, these wonderful young athletes, will be receiving sporting grants for the sports they are pursuing. These nine athletes are very passionate young people—like Aimee Carlin of Emu Plains, who participated in the youth triathlon championships in May. Amy writes:

I have worked my way up to this level in triathlon over the last couple of years, representing my regional area in state and recently the Oceania competition. Competing against the best athletes in Australia at the championships will improve me as a competitor and also give me a chance to learn from these athletes how to prepare myself for competition.

Brennan Rymer, from Claremont Meadows, competed in the under-18 Australian Junior Basketball Championships in April. He trains four nights a week. He writes:

I have just begun assisting a couple of the younger children right across the sport and I'm very looking forward to this championship.

Elise Izzard, from Glenmore Park, writes how much she loves basketball and competing in the national women's league.

James Dare is a softball player. James writes that he has participated in the under-15 regional championships in Rockhampton. He also was in the Western Sydney Academy of Sport.

Then we have Georgia Britton. Georgia is a wonderful, young softball player. She has competed at the New South Wales Metros earlier this year and is in the esteemed under-15s competition.

Emily Imber, from Emu Heights, has qualified for the Australian figure skating competition. She has been training and working hard for the last three years. She talks about the sacrifices and the commitment of her family to allow her the opportunity to participate at the levels she does.

Cheyne Easthorpe, from Cranebrook, talks about her goal to play in the Australian Regional Softball Championship and has now qualified to play in the one-day championship and represent the Australian team.

Samantha Thrupp played softball for the Australian under-17s championship and Amy Kellett, attending Westfield Sports High, played in the New South Wales Junior State Cup in 2015.

We will be presenting these young athletes with $500 grants to help them participate in their sports at Westfield over the weekend. (Time expired)

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