Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I wanted to share an exciting event coming up in my electorate. Next month I'm going to be holding the very first Bonner seniors expo at the Waterloo Bay Leisure Centre. It will be on from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm on 22 November, and what a day it's going to be. The expo will be a fantastic event for seniors, with free entry, free entertainment, a lucky door prize, complimentary afternoon tea and free bus transport for the whole day. There'll be keynote speakers from various government departments and community organisations, who'll be on hand to answer people's questions. There will also be several local small businesses set up on the day for people to browse and discover.

I found many of my senior constituents often don't know about all the services and programs that are available to them or about the community that can help them, so I've invited representatives from the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, NBN Co, south Queensland Police, Hearing Well Australia, FSG Australia, Carers Queensland, Metro South Hospital and Health Service, and more to come along. We'll let people know what they have access to. I've also invited a number of local aged-care providers, who will be providing lots of great information about seniors care options in the community. This includes Janoah Gardens, Nazareth Care Wynnum, Regis Wynnum, Anglicare Southern Queensland, McKenzie Aged Care, Aveo Manly Gardens and more.

There will also be stalls for the Wynnum and Manly Meals on Wheels, Wynnum Bowls Club, Manly Bowls Club, Sailability Bayside, Mount Gravatt Men's Shed, Port of Brisbane Rotary and many more groups. Tyack Health from Manly West will be holding a session on how seniors can stay active and healthy. Helloworld Travel Wynnum will be providing travel advice for people thinking about taking a trip for their holidays. All up, there will be over 40 stalls, but that's not all. There'll also be a bunch of entertainment on offer throughout the day. First up is a fashion show showcasing all the latest designs from local clothes shop Juicy Secrets and local shoe outlet Bare Traps. Next is a performance from Zumba dance group from the EACH social activity club, whom I have spoken about here before. Finally, students from the Guardian Angels Choir will be singing during afternoon tea.

It's going to be a fantastic day, and thanks to everyone in the community who's helped me make the Bonner Seniors' Expo a reality. Special thanks goes to TransitCare and Community Flyer for providing free bus trips for people attending. I can't wait to see everyone on the day, and I'm proud to support the local seniors community with this very, very special event.

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