Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science, Technology and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to inform the House about an outstanding young lady called Rosie Malone, who was awarded a sports champion award in the under-15 girls national championship in the Fadden Electorate. This is an extraordinary young lady. She won the Queensland Premier's Rising Star Award. Two years ago she was the youngest girl by two years in the Queensland girls school competition. This year again she was the youngest girl in the competition.

She misses a fair bit of school, unfortunately; but her mum assures me that she always is up to date with her work, because education is important. But she is busy. She captains the Ashmore Little Athletics Club. She is a representative in soccer and in athletics.

What makes it so extraordinary for this family is that mum is a single mum with a couple of very gifted children, one of whom is Rosie. Quite often parents do not get to see their kids compete because the cost is very high; the sports championship grant is one way to really help. Mum works hard to ensure Rosie gets the best she can. The grant that Rosie was given has allowed her team to come second overall in the competition.

Rosie lost half her finger in a competition six weeks earlier in Hobart but still managed to play after multiple surgeries. If we knew nothing else about Rosie, that alone would tell us a lot about her courage and tenacity and about her sporting prowess and achievements.

She will now go on to play in the under-17s club competition, and I know the House will join me in wishing her well in celebrating her great achievement.