Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to rise today and to add my support to the motion before the House brought forward by the member for Fraser. While in nature and name the Indigenous Marathon Project is a sport program, as we have already heard, in reality it is so much more. It is a program of social change. It deserves recognition in this place and more broadly as a vehicle of change for hundreds if not thousands of Australians, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike.

As noted in the terms of the motion, the project was established in 2010 as a vehicle to promote healthy lifestyles in Indigenous communities, creating Indigenous role models and inspiring Indigenous people. To be successful, the program needed a determined leader and role model, and in Rob de Castella it has both. Rob is widely remembered for his surge to victory in the 1982 Commonwealth Games marathon on the streets of Brisbane and his world record marathon run that led to him being acknowledged as Australian of the Year in 1983. But in my eyes, and in the eyes of many, his true legacy will be for Indigenous Australians.

Since its inception, 43 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women have graduated from the program, with another 11 enrolled in this year's program. In simple terms, 54 individuals benefiting from the program is impressive. However, the number of those who truly gain is far greater. Young Indigenous men and women participants are given the opportunity to unearth, as we have seen, their own sense of self-worth and pride and get to complete a full 42.2-kilometre marathon while also completing a number of vocational training courses during the year of the program. Participants train mostly in their own communities during the program, and graduates often establish their own running and walking groups, as we have heard, called appropriately the Deadly Fun Runs. The Deadly Fun Runs encourage local communities to lead active lifestyles, help reduce the incidence of disease and also improve and strengthen community and social cohesion.

My community of Newcastle has its own graduate of the program and is home to two of the program's respected ambassadors. One, Novocastrian Nat Heath, is a 2012 program graduate. Nat applied for the program as an opportunity to improve his own education and his health following an earlier diagnosis of the paralysing Guillain‐Barre syndrome, and also to promote health and wellbeing in his community, doing so through the Newcastle parkrun series.

Nat travelled to New York to complete the 2012 New York Marathon, but the marathon was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. Despite the disappointment of not being able to run in the New York Marathon, Nat continued his training and in February 2013 finished the Tokyo Marathon.

Since 2013 he has continued his training, becoming the fastest ever IMP graduate, breaking the three-hour mark at the 2014 Sydney Marathon and, eight months later, winning his age category at the Port Macquarie Iron Man, qualifying him for the world championships.

Taking part in the program also provided Nat with greater self-belief and self-confidence to pursue his career. After completing the program he stepped out of his comfort zone to relocate from Newcastle to Sydney to work as a program manager for the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience.

Our city's program ambassadors, Dave 'Robbo' Robertson and Paralympian Kurt Fearnley, contribute in their own ways to assist program participants. Robbo mentors athletes, hosts functions and livestreams international events. Kurt meets with athletes in their final race preparation, in New York and Boston, where he also competes in the marathons and joins them in celebrating their achievements.

Both ambassadors have also been involved in the Newcastle Hunter Runners Ball, which raises much-needed funds for the program. I look forward to joining with the Newcastle running community at this year's ball, on Saturday night in Newcastle City Hall. Tickets were sold out weeks ago, so keen is my community to support this program. I commend the member for Fraser for bringing the Indigenous Marathon Project to the attention of the House, and I congratulate all organisers and program co-founder Robert de Castella for improving health and social welfare in Indigenous communities across Australia, including in my electorate of Newcastle.

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