Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Each year since 2000 I have hosted the Fisher community Australia Day awards, which aim to give recognition to those residents of Fisher who make significant personal sacrifices to do good things for their community, whether it be through community service organisations, sporting organisations, business, the arts or individually, as many people do. This year the Fisher Citizen of the Year award went to Mrs Geraldine Cole, an 84-year-old resident of Maleny. Mrs Cole has worked for almost 60 years for her community. She has been active in Maleny since she moved to the town in 1952 to take up the position of midwife at the local hospital. Since then she has worked hard to achieve much for the town, including setting up the first kindergarten and helping to establish Meals on Wheels, to which she has given some 20 years of ongoing service. Mrs Cole is also an active member of the Maleny Historical Society and the Senior Citizens, for whom she also edits their local newsletter, and she has been volunteering for the Maleny Show Society for 45 years. She is a truly wonderful woman—small in stature but big in community spirit and dedication.

Other awards went to Mr Ken Brennan, Caloundra, for service to the community through the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard; Mr Greg Hutson, Kilcoy, for service to the community through the Kilcoy District Historical Society; Mr Larry Jenkinson, Kilcoy, for services to the community through the Kilcoy District Historical Society; Mr Ken Kuhn, Kilcoy, for service to veterans and senior citizens of the Kilcoy region; Mr Craig Lowndes, Kilcoy, for service to the community through motorsport; Mr Rob and Mrs Helen Matchett, Mountain Creek, for services to the community through various pursuits; Mr Eoin McDonald, Wurtulla, for service to the community through lifesaving; Mrs Glenda Mills, Caloundra, for services to the community; Mr LE (Bill) Newton, Caboolture, for services to the community; Mr Bruce Page, Peachester, for service to the community; Mrs Glenda Paton, Wurtulla, for dedication to sport through the Sunshine Coast Hockey Association; Mr Jeff Salmon, Woodford, for services to the Woodford veterans community; Mr Ted White, Wurtulla, for services to the community through the Street Angels organisation; Mrs Carolyn Wilson, Caloundra, for service to the community; and Mr John Winterhoff, Glasshouse, for service to the community.

The Glasshouse Country State Emergency Service received a highly commended award for service to the community for 28 years. The Fisher Young Citizen of the Year was Miss Angela McGuinness of Minyama for service to the community through various organisations. The Fisher Citizen of the year, as I mentioned, was Mrs Geraldine Cole of Maleny for many years of service to the community. The organisational award, the Des Scanlan Memorial Shield, went to the Scouts for services to the community.

On behalf of residents in the electorate of Fisher, I would like to congratulate all of these people and organisations for their exceptional efforts in helping the community and helping to make the electorate of Fisher, the Sunshine Coast and Australia the wonderful place that it is. As Australians it is always important that we do put people up on pedestals who are role models for others. Our community would be a much better place if we had more people like the recipients of the Fisher Australia Day awards from this year and also those people who have been honoured in previous years. What we need to do as Australians is to recognise that our community simply could not exist if it were not for the many people right throughout our nation who are prepared to stand up and be counted and work on behalf of their fellow citizens without seeking to achieve any recognition at all. They are role models, they are national icons, they are community icons and they ought to be respected by all people.