Pat Conroy (Charlton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to take this opportunity to draw the attention of the House to some of the remarkable volunteers in Charlton who give so much to our community. In particular I wish to acknowledge: Jan Wever, Alex Wilson, Melissa Fenton, Caroline Davies, Jane Mifsud, Pamela Aylward, Margaret Cropper, Elisabeth Porter, Jennifer Ferris, Gwen Corbet, Howard Trevathan, Bob Broadfoot OAM, Sister Helen-Anne Johnson, Darrell Breasley, Roma Dorahy and George Royal. These are very worthy recipients of the 2013 Charlton Volunteer Awards which I had the pleasure and honour of presenting in a ceremony late last year. Nominated by their peers, these 16 volunteers received awards in five categories: Emergency Management, Education, Environment, Senior and Junior.

Award recipients ranged in ages from 16 to 83 years, and they volunteer at a wide range of not-for-profit organisations such as Red Cross Emergency Services, the Retired Mineworkers Association, Sugar Valley and Maryland Neighbourhood Centres, the Morisset Showground Trust, Mum's Cottage, Cardiff South, Argenton, Blackalls Park and Garden Suburbs Public Schools and Avondale School Toronto Campus. As I got to know the volunteers in the room, it struck me what a unique group of individuals they were—all from diverse backgrounds, in various stages of their lives and with various work and family commitments. But what united them, what made them special and what they had in common was their desire to take action to improve society, to make the world a better place, to go above and beyond.

Speaking to some of these volunteers was incredible. Some of them had been called out for the October bushfires that affected my region as well as the Blue Mountains. Some of them were fostering their seventh or eighth child, having successfully raised three children of their own. Their efforts and their personal stories struck me very deeply. I made the point in that ceremony that we are not just honouring their contribution; we are honouring the contribution of the families and friends that make sacrifices and support them when they are sick and cover for them when they need to go out and make these great volunteering efforts. These volunteers have made a significant impact on all our lives and the Charlton Volunteer Awards endeavour to pay tribute to the unsung heroes of our local community who give so much to others, asking for nothing in return. Thank you also to all the nominating organisations for taking the time to recognise the efforts of the 2013 Charlton Volunteer Award recipients.

I would also like to take the opportunity to congratulate and recognise students in Charlton who have been extended the Pat Conroy Community Involvement Award as part of their school's end-of-year presentation ceremonies late last year. This award recognises students who have excelled in building and maintaining bonds within the school community and have displayed a positive attitude towards upholding the values of their school.

Ten high schools in Charlton participated in the awards, and I warmly congratulate the following recipients: Samantha Mayo of Glendale Technology High School, Chloe Boonstoppel of Lake Macquarie High School, Courtney Young of West Wallsend High School, Luke Brymora of St Paul's High School, Cameron Arnott of Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College, Jasmin Fielding of Charlton Christian College, Jake Henderson of Toronto High School, Kyara Nean of Callaghan College Wallsend Campus, Olivia Cook of Morisset High School, and Jade Morgan of Avondale School. It is important to recognise the achievements and contributions of students to their school community and I am pleased to recognise these outstanding young men and women.

These students were often academically gifted but not always the top of their class. What united them was a desire to make their school a better place, to make their community a better place and to improve society. Hopefully, later on in life some of these recipients will be then receiving volunteer awards for continuing their great public service. So it is a great honour to be a member of this chamber and to represent Charlton in this electorate. But it is an even greater honour to be able to take part in awarding and recognising the efforts of volunteers and community leaders. I would like to honour all those I have named and I hope to be here in a year's time honouring the next year's recipients. Thank you.