Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Last week, I completed six months of being the elected federal member for Holt. What an incredible six months it has been. There aren't enough words to describe my gratitude for having the opportunity to represent such a safe, supportive and welcoming community. While I have spoken at length about the diversity of this wonderful community, today I would like to spare a few minutes to give everyone a quick tour of some of my favourite places in the electorate. I also emphasise that Holt is one electorate but many worlds.

As we travel down the South Gippsland Highway, which runs diagonally from end to end through the middle of my electorate, our first stop is the suburb of Hampton Park. Since its establishment in the post-world-war area, the suburb was welcomed with open arms people of all sorts to establish a new home for themselves and their families. One of my favourite places in the suburb is KM Reedy Reserve. The reserve is home to the Hampton Park united soccer club and is named after Ken Reedy, a local legend who was instrumental in establishing the Hampton Park CFA fire station, Uniting Church and scout hall.

Our next stop, in Cranbourne North, is the Cranbourne Golf Club, an institution which symbolises the community coming together and uniting in support of hope over hate. It was opened on 9 April 1954 by a group of friends from Melbourne's Jewish community who wanted to enjoy a game of golf free from the discrimination they faced at several Victorian venues at the time. Despite its humble beginnings, the club quickly grew to be among Melbourne's premier golfing facilities and has often been described as a hidden jewel.

Next, we zoom down the highway as it turns into High Street, Cranbourne. It resumes being a highway near our next stop, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne, one of two in Victoria. Within these 363 hectares is the Australian Garden, an award-winning contemporary botanic garden which celebrates the beauty and diversity of Australian flora by displaying over 100,000 plants from 1,900 plant varieties.

Our last stop is the Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale, a place where you can experience lantern-lit tours that showcase the rare and unusual animals that roam in the Australian bush. These include many endangered species that have survived due to conservation breeding programs, including the squirrel gliders, the New Holland mouse, spotted-tailed quolls and orange-bellied parrots. If any of you in the chamber would like a longer tour, I encourage you to come to Holt. (Time expired)

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