Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have to thank the member for Fraser for bringing this important motion to the House, and we should celebrate the member for Lingiari's role in encouraging Rob de Castella to start or continue this great project. I suppose it would have seemed a bit ambitious at first, but it has proven to be a really realistic thing to do and one that brings great support in the community. And so we have to thank Rob de Castella for that and, in my own community, Jo Weaver, who has for some time now organised a community event at the Granite Creek tavern; this year it will be on Saturday, 10 October. So, if anybody wants to get along to the Barossa Valley and get along to the Granite Creek pub, which is my local and puts on a good meal, you will get to hear from Rob de Castella. I will be there, my wife will be there and various other speakers will be there as well. The next morning, in the community out at Marananga, there is a fun run between Whistler Wines and Seppeltsfield Winery. So it is a great day and a great event which obviously helps to raise money for the runners to go to the New York marathon.

When I spoke to Jo, she was very keen for me to mention everybody but her, and that speaks to her modesty. But I think so many people who are organising these events do it because they think it is a really great thing to do, and not just to recognise Indigenous people in our own community—and I think that is important. I was reflecting that when I was at high school there was no Welcome to Country; there was no event like this in the local community, and I think we were poorer for it. In fact, I know we were poorer for it. So we really should celebrate people like Jo who get the rest of us involved, both raising money and running in the fun run on the Sunday morning.

She did want me to mention all of the South Australians who have been graduates and members. In 2011, we had Patrick Keain from Hove and Kiwa Schilling from Kanmantoo. In 2013 we had Luke McKenzie from Murray Bridge, who was also the 2013 NAIDOC Sportsman of the Year from South Australia. In 2014 we had Ruth Wallace from Adelaide. All of those have gone on to run the New York Marathon and graduate from the IMP program. In 2015, we had Daniel Lloyd from Murray Bridge, who is on the squad and currently training for the New York Marathon in November.

It is a terrific event, as I said before. Last year, I had the 'pleasure' of doing that 5.5-kilometre run. It was rather warm in the Barossa Valley and there are quite a lot of hills between Marananga and Seppeltsfield. If that is a fun run, I would hate to see one that was serious, because at every stop not only was there water but there were people who put you through a range of other fitness training—medicine balls, ropes to throw around, jumping up and down, doing squats and all the rest of it. It was 'fun', but it put some of us through our paces. After the first stop, my wife said, 'You're holding me back,' and sprinted away. She came in, I think, first amongst the fun run participants—if you exclude all the IMP graduates—and shared a great time. She is something of a runner. So this year I am going to try and do a bit better on the hills between Marananga and Seppeltsfield. There are great wineries. I would recommend them both to you if you are ever in the Barossa Valley, Deputy Speaker. But, most importantly, we will be there raising money and afterwards there is a fun day for all the community. These are great projects and they help to raise money for what are worthy projects. They do not just keep Indigenous people fit but they keep the rest of the community fit as well. They bring us together in a good way that is really about reaching a true and lasting reconciliation with Indigenous people in this country.

Debate adjourned.

See this speech in context