Dave Sharma (Wentworth, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate several high achievers in my electorate of Wentworth excelling in areas of sport, music and philanthropy.

I would like to highlight Ned Wieland of Waverley College, who has been named the Young Conversation Champion at the R U OK? awards. Ned is the youngest male to complete the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, having swum the English Channel, the 42-kilometre Catalina Channel in California and the 20 Bridges Swim in Manhattan, a 52-kilometre swim around the island of Manhattan. He puts my own modest efforts of the Bondi to Bronte swim to complete shame. Ned completed these swims in support of R U OK?, raising close to $45,000 in funds and generating significant awareness through his swim efforts. Ned is an outstanding young person who has delivered an exemplary contribution to the community. I look forward to seeing him achieve greater things whilst inspiring other young people to support philanthropy and mental health initiatives.

In music, I wish to acknowledge Paddington's Claudia Jelic, a clarinettist who is currently touring Europe and China with the Australian Youth Orchestra. Claudia studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for four years and, through countless hours of practice and hard work, she has demonstrated that her skill and passion for music is worthy of being on the international stage. Claudia is performing in Beijing today with the Australian Youth Orchestra and will finish the tour in Australia with a final concert being held next Monday at the Sydney Opera House. I wish to congratulate her as she embarks on a journey into the professional orchestral world.

Finally, I'd like to put on record the tremendous efforts of the Secret Men's Business annual dinner, which was held at the end of June and raised more than $160,000 for the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick. These vital funds will mean more beds and equipment for the Royal's newborn intensive care unit, which cares for more than 1,000 critically ill and premature babies from all over New South Wales. They will also help fund the Royal's maternal fetal medicine unit, which provides specialised care for complicated pregnancies. Over the years, the Secret Men's Business annual dinner has raised close to $1 million for the Royal Hospital for Women, the only dedicated women's hospital in New South Wales.

The Wentworth electorate is full of people with big hearts and fighting spirits. I thank them for their contribution and wish them the best in their future endeavours.

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