Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to congratulate the First Gosford Scouts on their 90 years of service to our community.

Last weekend I joined a crowd of around 400 people at the sea scouts hall in Gosford to celebrate the history and the future of this great scouting movement, dating back locally to 1924. It was a fabulous community event supported by many local organisations, particularly the training and concert band from Gosford Public School. May I commend principal, John Anderson, for the school's support for the Scouts. The band that day was excellent and I congratulate conductor, David Dallinger, band coordinator, Ester See, and all the student musicians, who were outstanding.

Chertsey Public School at Springfield loaned the scouts a data projector and audio gear for the celebration. We were also fortunate in that the First Gosford parent support committee chairman, Simon Stevens, is a chef, and he was happy to work with the Scouts Rovers to feed us a great barbecue!

A number of awards were given on the day, including to Felicity MacPherson, Clare Udy, Adam Wakeling and Lincoln Burkinshaw, and eight-year-old who raised $600 for our local homeless shelter, Coast Shelter. Terry Donelly, a former First Gosford scout from 1954 cut the birthday cake alongside the youngest member of First Gosford Scouts, Jarred Andrew, aged just seven.

My congratulations to group leader Greg Denning, whose tireless work over a number of decades, together with his outstanding team, means the scout movement will continue to thrive on the Central Coast, 90 years after it began.