Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I would like to speak about the community of Elanora on the southern Gold Coast and two of the recent events that have taken place in that area. I would like to start with the Exit 92 Cluster of State Schools Speech Makers Festival, which I attended last Thursday night at Elanora State School. The Exit 92 Cluster of State Schools is comprised of eight local state schools at the southern part of the electorate that actively work together for the benefit of their students. Those schools are Coolangatta State School, Elanora State School, Currumbin Valley State School, Tallebudgera State School, Currumbin Primary School, Palm Beach State School, Elanora State High School and Palm Beach Currumbin State High School. Unfortunately, PBC was unable to compete in this year's contest.

Each of the students competing at the festival had to prepare a speech from a list of topics and then present it on the night. It was fantastic to see the high level of preparation from each of the students and the confidence that each student displayed. I would therefore like to congratulate Sarah Withers, Charlotte Page, Zoe Browne, Matilda Lee, Oscar Knowles, Luke Haining, Jacinta Hill, Dylan Butler, Steven Chen, Corben Thorsby, Phoenix Starr, Lauren Congram, Corey Dodd, Chelaine Bothma, Ellie Mann and Cassidy Lynd for their outstanding performances on the night. I would also like to acknowledge the student leaders from each of the schools, which o attended to assist in running the event and taking turns in introducing their fellow students. They were Mikayla Thomas, Anna Tyrrell, Isaac Graham, Elaine Summersford, Kira Egan, Kyle Kettlewell, Olivia Cox, Brianna Burnett, Ella van Seters and Christopher Charlton. However, the night would not have been a success without the hard work put in by the festival's organiser, Maria Thompson from Elanora State School, and the adjudicators for the evening, Reverend Ian Lord from Elanora Uniting Church, Margaret Greer and Norma Waller from Toastmasters. Congratulations to all concerned with the Speech Makers' Festival.

I would also like to speak about the Elanora Uniting Church Spring Fair and Flower Show, which I had the privilege to attend and open last Saturday. The Spring Fair and Flower Show is organised annually by the church and is attended by hundreds of locals and their families. Throughout the fair, there were a variety of craft stalls and plants, as well as a very wide variety of fresh jams, bakery items and confectionary that were made just for the day. It was also great to see other not-for-profit organisations present and lending their support, including the local Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre and BlueCare. I would also like to mention that Elanora Uniting Church runs a Wednesday morning craft group which attracts more than 300 people. A wide variety of crafts are available for the attendees to participate in, such as beadwork, knitting, crocheting and quilt making. It is an excellent morning and I look forward to being part of it in the near future.