Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Summer is fast approaching, with the days becoming brighter as they fill with festivities across the electorate of Brand. Thanks to the dedication of community organisations, volunteers and community-minded individuals, a number of fun and celebratory events have been hosted in Brand, taking advantage of the fantastic coastal backdrop and great community spirit that is always on show.

In October the annual Castaways Sculpture Awards continued to raise environmental and recycling awareness through sculptures on public display on the beautiful Rockingham beachfront. I want to thank everyone involved in this event for their continued commitment to bringing art to the beach and to creatively supporting the arts and environmental and sustainability awareness all in one go.

Earlier this month we had the inaugural Rockingham Beach Cup, WA's first beach horse race. Thousands of people lined the sand and foreshore to cheer on the winners in this six-race event. The Rotary Club of Palm Beach deserves huge congratulations for putting together this fantastic two-day event, from the black-tie gala dinner the night before to the auction and the community festival the day after, with performers, art displays, food vendors and the main attraction—horse racing on the beach.

The Rotary marquee was fabulous, as was the cruising yacht club. At the yacht club I was pleased to run into former hockey teammates Rochelle Walstead and Julie Winchester—by the way, happy birthday, Winnie. I also ran into Norma and Barry Walker. Norma was my former German teacher at Safety Bay high. I must say it was fabulous to be able to say a quick wie geht's and guten tag to Norma and Barry.

It was such a successful event. It was only possible thanks to the hard work put in by many people, including but not limited to Rotarians Laurie Smith, the former Mayor of Rockingham, his wife Norma Smith, Michael McCafferty and the Smith family in its entirety.

Looking closer to Christmas now: the Kwinana community will once again host the Kwinana Christmas Carols. This Christmas institution is only possible thanks to the dedication of local music teachers, local schoolchildren and passionate members of this great community. Special mention needs to be made of Amanda Oliver and the Calista Primary School Choir, John Logan and Ruth Alexander, who all give generously of their time and expertise so that the whole local community can participate in and enjoy this musical extravaganza.

The Baldivis community will also be joining in an evening of Christmas cheer with their own community Christmas carols hosted kindly by the Mother Teresa Catholic College. The school staff and the whole student community need to be thanked in advance for their upcoming performances, which I know will be fantastic. I also take this opportunity to think about those in the community who are doing it tough this Christmas. Christmas can be a difficult time for many and there are tireless volunteers who work hard and give their time generously to help those who need a little assistance.

Another celebration is coming up—my mum's 80th birthday. Diana Morris has lived in the most beautiful part of the world in the best electorate in the country for over 50 years. I look forward to celebrating her 80th with neighbours, friends and the community. (Time expired)