Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to acknowledge that the East Lismore Hockey Club are celebrating their 75th year this year. They were formed in the late 1940s as a breakaway hockey team to enter the Far North Coast reserve grade competition. The women's side joined a year later. Today, Easties, as they are known, are one of the strongest clubs in the Far North Coast competition. Several current and former members have played for Australia, including former Kookaburra Grant Smith, who won bronze at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

To celebrate their 75th year, they all had games—from junior level to seniors and reserves, in both men's and women's—played on their home field in Goonellabah on 5 and 6 August. They called it the Festival of Easties. They have had many contributors to hockey in the region, with the standout being Clint Mallett, who was inducted as a life member of Far North Coast Hockey Inc. for his work on and off the field, particularly for his role in 1987 as the founding secretary of Far North Coast Hockey Inc. Congratulations to East Lismore Hockey Club and the current committee of President Daniel Hughes, Secretary Sonia Buchanan, Treasurer Jo Mackney, Vice-President Andrew Helmood, June Blunn, Clint Mallett, Roxanne Tickle, Demi Flynn and Jane Parish. Thank you for the great community club that you are.

I'd also like to acknowledge the grand final winners from the weekend in the seniors rugby league competition. The North Coast group 2 rugby league competition grand final was played on Sunday. With great delight, I can say that the South Grafton Rebels played the Orara Valley Axemen, and the Rebels came out on top 36-8. It was a great win. Congratulations. They are coached by Ronald Gordon. To the team—Keiron Heron, Luke French, Nick McGrady, Tom McGrady, Brian Quinlan, Hughie Stanley, Jordan Gallagher, Lewis Cooper, Cooper Makings, Jack Pitkin, TJ Walker, Grant Brown, Grant Stevens, Ryan Binge, Luke Walker, Tyrhys Brown, Aussie Cooper, Damon Kirby, Waylon Caldwell and Keaton Stutt—congratulations.

While the Orara Valley Axemen missed out on grand final day, they were the minor premiers and are coached by former NRL player Sam Burgess, who came to the club after retiring from the NRL in 2019. He helped to resurrect the Axemen. He built the team. They won a minor premiership and energised new fans. They had great crowds there all year and had a great community spirit. I congratulate him and the team for that. The team consists of Liam Dunn, Ronan Singleton, Luke Beaumont, Lathan Hutchinson-Walters, Steven Cetinich, Buddy Hart, Dan Robinson, Cain Bunt, Zac Makelim, Matt Wakefield, Ryan Gill, Macauley Dawson, Justin Hull, Jedaiah Katal, Harry Davey, Vikram Atwal, Oscar Watson, Alex Bunt and Jarrod Hall. It was a great game. Well done, the Rebels.

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