David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On 30 August, I met with the St George Creative Art and Craft Centre to meet the group's new president, Maria Kokkoris, and treasurer, Debbie Bourke. It was great to meet them and talk about the activities of the St George Creative Art and Craft Centre in Penshurst. The centre has been at that location since the seventies. It is a great meeting place for local artists, and particularly for kids in our region to learn artistic skills: painting, sculpting, needlework, drawing and a range of other things. Every year, the St George Creative Art and Craft Centre holds two major exhibitions, which are always very well attended and a highlight of the calendar in our community. I'd like to congratulate Maria and Debbie and the new executive committee of the St George Creative Art and Craft Centre on all of their efforts at the centre, and I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.

I also attended recently Bankstown Art Society, on 23 August. I had a great visit, which was organised by the secretary, Joyce Williams, and met with a drawing class which was being given by Richard Porter. Bankstown Art Society has been around since 1958, and currently has over 200 members who come together to learn about art. There are lots of different classes and also a number of very successful exhibitions each year. Bankstown Art Society has over the years held many successful classes for kids, some of whom go back to the Art Society as teachers later on in life. Thank you to Bankstown Art Society for everything you do in our community.

On 29 August, I visited Panania Public School to speak with the kids from years 5 and 6 about government—they've got an upcoming visit to Parliament House. Unfortunately, I won't be here on that day, but I wanted to go along and have a chat with them about what they're learning and about our representative democracy. I'd like to thank their teachers, Rebecca Walker and Trisha Ambrose, who organised the day, and the kids for their fantastic questions. I'm sure you'd know, Deputy Speaker Buchholz, that year 5 and 6 kids, as they learn about democracy, often come up with some very interesting and challenging questions. We had a really good discussion at the school. Panania Public School is one of the larger primary schools in my electorate, with over 460 kids, and is very ably led by its principal, Sandra Palmer. It was great to visit the school, as it always is, and I look forward to continuing to work with it in the future.

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