David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

On 3 August I attended the centenary dinner of the St George Football Association, and what an incredible organisation it is. It has existed in various forms for 100 years. It was great to see the president of Football St George, its chair, Irene Hatzipetros, the chief executive, Phil Brown, and all of the many clubs represented on the night, such as Lugarno, Forest Rangers, Oatley FC, All Saints Oatley West Penshurst West and so many others. It was a terrific night. Football is the absolute lifeblood of our community. There are some 14,000 members of the St George Football Association. It was wonderful to celebrate its centenary, and congratulations to all involved in a fantastic night.

Last Friday, 9 August, I attended the 60th anniversary celebration of Georges River College Peakhurst, formerly known as Peakhurst High School. The students put on a wonderful display celebrating the 60 years of this fantastic organisation. We learnt so much about the school and some of its luminaries who had attended in the past. We learnt that Robyn Denholm, the chairperson of Tesla, attended Georges River College Peakhurst, along with many other people who have gone on to great success in our community. To the principal, Diane Wilson, and to all the students who were involved in putting on such a professional and uplifting event: thank you and congratulations.

Arkana College is a terrific school in our area. On 25 July it was great to join the principal, Osman Karolia, and students for a demonstration of what they are doing in robotics. The years 5 and 6 kids have entered the Universal Robotics Challenge, and they will be representing Australia this year in the world robotics final in Japan. They gave a demonstration of the robot, which was incredibly impressive. The kids who were there on the day are a great credit to their school and to their families. They spoke in a very articulate way about the tremendous work they're doing in the robotics challenge. Congratulations to all the teachers and to Principal Karolia as well.

On 27 July, the Pinnacle had its great opening. Formerly known as South Hurstville RSL, it has been through an extensive renovation in recent years. It was terrific to see the CEO, Simon Mikkelsen, and the president, Patrick Wedes, who have worked so hard for our local community. There was a huge crowd there on the day. It has been a tremendously successful renovation, and no doubt the Pinnacle is going to become even more of a meeting place in our community than it was in the past. Thank you to Simon and to Patrick and to everyone at the Pinnacle on this very successful project.

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