Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Friday I had the enormous privilege of recognising the hardworking volunteers we have in my electorate of Fadden on the northern Gold Coast. Today I wish to acknowledge each and every one of those pillars of our community in this great place in parliament. Something like 140,000 Gold Coast residents volunteer each year with the combined impact in the community of some $6 billion. Our volunteers truly are the glue that holds our community together.

Our volunteers that received an award last Friday include Kay Hobson from Volunteers in Policing; Beverly Sharp from the Lynne Richardson Community Centre; Katrina Dunbar, chair of the Gaven State School P? Alex Wells, who started an inclusive sports program at her school LORDS; Gareth Roberts from the Runaway Bay Cricket Club; Alan Farrell, who does great work at the Helensvale branch of Parkinson's Queensland; Gunter and Marie Pfitzer of the Crestwood Heights Neighbourhood Watch; Dean Cummins, who does everything at the Runaway Bay Rugby League Club; Alan McFarlane for his efforts building up the Coomera Soccer Club; Leanne Woolard, Jayde Gofton, Alex Blaine, Mel Voight and Roy Gerards from the State Emergency Service; Mike Findlay from Hatcher raceway; Joan Norman from the Coombabah Community Garden; John Doric from the Serbian-Australian Pensioners Association; Kathleen New, captain of the Southport Croquet Club; Robert De Colle, Maureen Cooper and Joe Nola from the U3A North Gold Coast—they have just celebrated 25 years; Sandy Parker from the Runaway Bay Lions Club; Vicky Goodrich, founder and President of the Labrador Community Garden—a wonderful community initiative where one of my staff even has a garden, though I am not too sure his veggies are growing particularly well; Janet James, who does great work for local women and girls at Soroptimist International Gold Coast; Leeanne Braund from the Discovery Park Tennis Club and Broadwater financial services; Leanne Watt, who is involved in the Helensvale primary and High School P&C and the Helensvale Hornets Junior Rugby League Club; Judith Hendrikx from the Ormeau Progress Association; Del Cole, an extraordinary woman who does so much for Papua New Guineans through the Runaway Bay Rotary Club and her provision of support for birthing kits in Papua New Guinea; Merle Buckley from the Helensvale State School P? Ben Tullipan, who runs Empower Golf Queensland; Marion Anderson, founder and director of Hands to Hold; Corina Profke, Caryn Reeves, Roz Rowe, Tania Mackie and Amanda Hartwig from the Coomera Rivers State School P&C—an extraordinary P&C that has got something like 140 parents involved in it, quite amazing; Margie James, Brad Pledge, Samantha Leonard and Christie Nunn from the Labrador Scout Group doing such a great job with our young people; and, finally, George Dick and Brad McEldowney from the largest union club on the coast the Helensvale Hogs, as in a rugby union club.

Let me acknowledge in front of not just my peers and colleagues but the whole nation the great work that our volunteers do. On behalf of the country, let me thank them for all their efforts. I wish them well in their future endeavours. (Time expired)