Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Each year Australia Day celebrations continue to grow, and it is great to witness the rising patriotism from all areas of our community. Australia Day is a day to celebrate the opportunities available to each and every one of us who is lucky enough to live in this great country. It is a great privilege for us to live in Australia, but we also have a great responsibility to uphold our values and build upon the community spirit which makes this country so unique. Australia Day provides us with the chance to reveal to others our great country and the legacies we proudly uphold.

It was my pleasure once again to act as the presiding officer at the Samford Rotary Club's Australia Day citizenship ceremony this year. This role allowed me the opportunity to welcome a number of new Australian citizens, from a variety of countries, to the Dickson community. They included Mr Shane and Mrs Lisa Archer and their children, Emma, Max and Zane; Mr David and Mrs Kim Davies and their children, Graham, Craig and Mark; Mr Kimmo and Ms Caroline Hietala and their children, Michael and Daniel; Mr Mark and Mrs Shauna Whitby; and Mr Radford Miramon. The ceremony allowed everyone present to recognise our common bond and unique diversity. Whether we are Australian citizens by birth or by choice, Australia Day brings all of us together and helps to mark the end to the citizen's migrant journey and the beginning of their new life as an Australian.

Although the inclement weather meant a move of venue from the Samford Historical Museum, the wonderful volunteers carried on and catered, in true Australian style, with damper and pikelets. I particularly thank Geoff Harris, Margaret Hickey, Bev Campbell, Val Riley, Janelle Grey, Joyce Sanderson, Sue Rosso, Hazel Perry and Robyn Currell for all of the work they put into making the day so successful. Their community spirit and involvement is a true example of how Australians selflessly give up their time for others.

As well as the citizenship ceremony, I also presented the Dickson Community Awards. Each year, the Dickson Community Awards recognise those special people in our community who, through academic and sporting achievements or through volunteer work above and beyond their normal activities, have made Dickson a better place. Dickson is home to a number of inspirational and hard-working people and, with so many quality nominations over the past twelve months, we decided on 14 award recipients.

Each recipient has made widespread contributions and achieved outstanding results in their specific fields.

I take this opportunity to congratulate: Keith and Fay Madden on receiving a Dickson Volunteer Award; Harry Thomson on receiving a Dickson Volunteer Award; Rodger Parker on receiving a Dickson Community Award; Martin Edge on receiving a Dickson Community Award for the Arts; Isabella Gemmell-Morgan on receiving a Dickson Community Award for the Arts; Trent Grimsey for receiving a Dickson Award for Sport; Eloise Amberger for receiving a Dickson Award for Sport; Matthew Stark for receiving the Dickson Young Achievers Award; Dr Laura Bray for receiving the Dickson Award for Academic Achievement; the Petrie SES for receiving the Dickson Volunteer Group of the Year Award; and Marissa Lemmer for receiving the Dickson Student of the Year Award.

Notably, I also presented the Dickson Young Citizen of the Year and Citizen of the Year awards. Paralympian Brenden Hall is the Dickson Young Citizen of the Year. Brenden is a true inspiration not only to other young athletes but also to all Australians. He has overcome life-changing circumstances to become the courageous and successful athlete he is today. I look forward to hearing of his future achievements and I congratulate his family, who I know have given him incredible support, particularly through his years of schooling at Pine Rivers High School. I know that the whole Pine Rivers High School community is incredibly proud of Brenden's continuing achievements.

The Dickson Citizen of the Year was Tamara Nowitizki. Tamara has conquered a number of challenges throughout her life and they in turn have shaped her into an inspiring woman who will continue to fight the stigmatisation against mental illness and disabilities in our community. I encourage everyone to read her autobiography, No Ordinary Girl, for an insight into living with mental health disorders and physical disability.

With new citizens and inspirational residents in Dickson, we were able to celebrate Australia Day and what really is a land of opportunity. In closing, I particularly thank the Rotary Club of Samford and their fine president, Mr Warren Hampton, and Mr Ian Spiller, Mr Peter Gloor and the many other Rotary volunteers who assisted on the day—as they do on every day of every year.