Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday I had the pleasure of participating in the Tuggeranong Netball Association's 10-hour marathon charity netball game raising funds for two wonderful Canberra charities—Bosom Buddies and Lifeline. I must admit I am not a netball player so I had the job of cooking the barbecue to feed the hungry players and, of course, of cheering from the sidelines. The game kicked off at 8 am with teams rotating through 10-minute quarters. By the time the final whistle blew at 6 pm, the scores were breathtakingly close, with Team Lifeline on 378 just beating Team Bosom Buddies on 376. Almost $12,000 was raised on the day with each charity taking home around $6,000 in much needed funds. It was a wonderful community event. Over 1,000 people participated in some way, as players, umpires or volunteers.

I would like to acknowledge the wonderful Louise Bilston, President of the Tuggeranong Netball Association. Louise and her team put a lot of work into organising this fantastic event. It had to be postponed for a fortnight because the first day was rained out. Its success is a great credit to her and her hardy team of volunteers. I would also like to thank the hundreds of players, young and old, professional and amateur, who took to the court on the day.