Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Maroubra Beach is renowned for its powerful surf and for producing some of the world's best surfers and surf-lifesavers. This has been recognised in the fact that Maroubra Beach is the second national surfing reserve and the home of the Australian Surfing Walk of Fame. As a tribute to Australia's best surfers, plaques are embedded in the promenade, outlining the careers of the likes of Nat Young, Midget Farrelly, Snow McAlister, Grant Kenny, Karla Gilbert and Mark Scott. In July each year, our community comes together to celebrate our beach culture with the Beach Breaks festival and the unveiling of the latest inductees into the Australian Surfing Walk of Fame.

This year, four world-class surfers, who I am pleased to say are all Maroubra locals, were inducted: former world junior surfing champion Jessi Miley-Dyer, local surfing legend Steve 'Blackie' Wilson, and former Olympians and Australian champion surf lifesavers Wally Brown and Ron McKeon. On behalf of our community, I wish to congratulate these four great sportspeople and ambassadors for surfing and surf-lifesaving in Australia. You are very worthy of immortalisation in the Australian Surfing Walk of Fame. I also thank and congratulate Randwick City Council for organising and putting on this wonderful festival each year and for the wonderful sense of community that Randwick City Council has.