Phillip Barresi (Deakin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate all those involved in the highly successful staging of the 18th Commonwealth Games, which took place recently and ended last weekend in Melbourne. It was fantastic to see the sporting capital of Australia displayed in all her glory. It was 11 days of competition that saw the best of the city, the athletes, the spectators and a volunteer army shine through.

Like many other members, I was fortunate to be a part of the lead-up to the games, when I was able to welcome the Queen’s baton relay to Walker Park in Nunawading just two days before the beginning of the games. Like other cities and towns along the route, the crowds throughout Deakin were enthusiastic, energetic, and conscious of what the baton represented—the unity of the Commonwealth and the desire to see excellence in sporting endeavour. By the time the baton arrived in Nunawading, carried by Australian hurdler and former local resident, Kyle Vander Kuyp, it had covered almost 180,000 kilometres and had visited all of the competing nations.

The spectacular and theatrical opening ceremony set a new benchmark for future Commonwealth Games, if not for its spectacle then certainly for the ensuing debate on its meaning and interpretation. The games themselves saw records broken and medals awarded for the first time with able-bodied athletes and elite athletes with disabilities competing in the same international meet.

Some of the members of the Commonwealth Games team were fortunate enough to have their efforts rewarded with medals; others were able to compete and achieve on the international sporting stage. The final results of events are, to some extent, secondary. These athletes now belong to a very select group of Australians who are able to lay claim to representing their country, and for that they are all to be commended.

I would like to recognise the achievements of some of the well-known and not so well-known athletes from the electorate of Deakin and the broader eastern suburbs of Melbourne. We can lay claim to having raised through our junior ranks some exceptional sportsmen and sportswomen. In the past we can lay claim to Cathy Freeman being a member of the Ringwood Athletic Club. Her time has come and gone. In the recent games we had Lauren Hewitt, a member of the Ringwood Athletics Club, who became a bronze medallist in the 4 x 100-metre women’s relay; Belinda van Tienen, a 20- year-old weightlifter from Warrandyte, who, in addition to being the under-18 Australian champion, has also competed nationally in athletics and has represented Victoria in netball, basketball and swimming; Matthew Welsh, who won a gold medal in the 4 x 100-metre medley relay and silver medals in both the 100-metre backstroke and the 50-metre butterfly; Erica Sigmont and Mark Fountain, both middle-distance runners originally from Box Hill, who gave stellar performances in the 800- and 1,500-metre events, respectively; and Janine Ilitch, a long-time Box Hill North resident, who is now training at the Australian Institute of Sport and who was selected after a long career to represent Australia in netball. Her selection is testament to her longevity in this highly competitive sport. Janine’s achievement is all the more impressive given the short period of time between the birth of her son and the competition. Finally, there was Scott Martin, who was involved with Ringwood athletics and who won a gold medal in the discus and a bronze medal in the shot-put. Scott put a smile on thousands of spectators as much for his achievement as for his portrayal of a male ballet dancer in commercial breaks, which we all had to endure during the games.

All of these athletes and many more have trained at local clubs in the Deakin electorate and the eastern suburbs. They have benefited from the experience and care of those who run these organisations—the tireless volunteers who front up year after year on committees and in various coaching roles. Those in charge of the grassroots sporting clubs give freely of their time and efforts in the attempt to nurture young athletes on their journey. Together with their families and friends, the club officials are to be commended for their work and for helping to create the next generation of Australia’s sporting stars.

This spirit of giving time and effort is reflected in the efforts of the some 15,000 volunteers who devoted their time to running the sports, managing the venues and helping the visitors to Melbourne. It was a truly stellar performance. Congratulations to all those concerned, particularly to those who carried the brunt of responsibilities: to Ron Walker; to Senator Rod Kemp on behalf of the Commonwealth; to John So, the Mayor of Melbourne and a very popular man; and to the Victorian minister, Justin Madden. They were games which we can all reflect on now with great admiration, pride and honour for what they gave to this nation.