Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning in the parliament I was talking about the best tropical university in the world which, as you know, is James Cook University. This afternoon I want to refer to the Townsville Police Citizens Youth Welfare Association, affectionately known as PCYC. It is the best PCYC in Queensland, and I think there is universal recognition of that through the police service and also through the community. It is wonderful to be able to report that to the parliament this afternoon.

Under the very capable leadership of Sergeant Gil Napper, the organisation has just blossomed. In 2008 the branch had a 37 per cent growth in membership, but it has doubled again in the last year and there are now 2½ thousand members. And it is wonderful to see all the programs. PCYCs are often seen as entities that look after young Australians, but the Townsville PCYC in Wellington Street in Aitkenvale has the whole gamut, from the youngest to the oldest. Seniors enjoy it as much as youngsters do. It has a family feeling. Everybody knows one another by their first name, and that is wonderful thing.

The PCYC have introduced some key programs. For example, the successful Support and Strengthening Program looks at youth from nine to 14 years of age who are at risk of disengaging, or have disengaged, from learning or are experiencing significant behavioural issues. Through sport and recreational platforms, the program helps these youth to re-engage. It rescues them. Gil and his team have achieved a success rate of 88 per cent, which is wonderful. The PCYC welcomes these young people, whom nobody else wants to know about—the education system does not want to know about them and the police force and the community have trouble with them—with open arms. The kids have a wonderful time re-engaging and gaining life experience.

Thank you, too, to the Chairperson of the Branch Management Committee, Christine Alderson. She has been doing a wonderful job leading the committee and supporting the police officers. The family atmosphere that has developed there, with mothers, fathers, grandparents and children regularly spending time at the branch, is a wonderful outcome.

Other community organisations are also involved, like the Smith Family, the Gambling Community Benefit Fund, Perpetual Funding, the Townsville City Council, Community Renewal Townsville, the Australian Federal Attorney-General’s Department, the Queensland government, the North Queensland Fury Football Club, the Townsville Basketball Association, Townsville Fire and the North Queensland Cowboys. Thank you so much for engaging with the PCYC in Townsville to make it the best in Queensland.