Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It was a very exciting weekend in Blackwood. The 53rd Annual Blackwood Christmas Parade and Fair was held on Friday night. The parade is the second biggest in South Australia and was coordinated by Sam Duluk MP and supported by the Blackwood Lions Club and the Rotary Club of Blackwood. More than 65 local organisations and businesses from across Boothby participated, including the Blackwood and Sturt football clubs, the Sturt and Upper Sturt CFS and SES, Kalyra aged care home, Coromandel Valley Ramblers Cricket Club, the Belair Community Centre, the Southern Hills Girl Guides, the 'Hills to Coast' Scouts, the Blackwood Business Network and the Friends of Shepherds Hill Recreation Park. Congratulations to all who participated in the parade by foot, float, vehicle and, of course, sleigh.

Saturday morning saw the launch of the Blackwood Action Group's Christmas Tree Festival. This is an amazing local event with Christmas trees decorated by local clubs, schools and businesses. There's a town crier to make sure the adults behave and that the children have easy access to Father Christmas. Importantly, all funds raised go to support the BEACON Emergency Relief Service, a local initiative that provides assistance to members of the community who are struggling to make ends meet, and AnglicareSA's Star Bear program, which helps children who have lost loved ones cope with their grief. My very sincere congratulations to the organiser, Pauline Dodd, and her husband, Geoff, the Blackwood Action Group and the 160 volunteers who have done a truly tremendous job for our local community and a great cause.

See this speech in context