David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

I endorse the member for Chifley's comments about Lina Cabaero, who I also know. She is a tremendous advocate for women in our community, and, like the member for Chifley, I wish her all best for her birthday and thank her for her fantastic work in our community.

On Sunday, 29 November, I attended the Panania Diggers RSL Soccer Club end-of-year presentation. Panania Diggers is the biggest soccer club anywhere in the Canterbury-Bankstown district, with more than 700 players, and there are about 100 people who volunteer to bring all the activities of the club together. Founded back in 1963 with just six teams, it is now a powerhouse of our community. Last year, the 17-18A and 17-18C teams were premiers and the club had a great year. It had some difficulties because the works at Kelso meant that some games had to be relocated, but the club came through that very well. I would like to acknowledge Bob Bell, the president; Dave McFadden, the secretary; and all of the other members of the committee, who do such a fantastic job and make Panania Diggers Soccer Club such a cornerstone of our community.

The Oatley Heritage and Historical Society is a unique organisation in my electorate. Oatley is the only suburb with its very own historical society. They have studied the rich history of Oatley, going back around a century or more. Late in November, they launched their new book, A Place called Oatley, at the RSL. It was written by Julian Sheen, a very learned and erudite man who has done immense work on the history of Oatley. The society has been around since 1995. It has scores and scores of local members, and the camaraderie within that group is fantastic to see. It's a really important contribution to our area. Thanks to Laurie Yeomans, the president, and to all of the other members of the Oatley Heritage and Historical Society.

There's nowhere quite like Shopfront Arts Co-op in Carlton. It's the most important arts organisation, in my view, anywhere in southern Sydney and has a particular youth focus. Started by volunteers back in the 1970s, it's gone from strength to strength. Recently the co-op was able to open a brand new building, which is going to make a great difference in providing arts services to young people and the broader community. It's a new community hall, and it's enabling Shopfront to expand its important work. Daniel Potter, the CEO, does a fantastic job in taking an artistic and also a practical view to bringing arts to our community.

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