Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When Maddie Bishop, a high school student from Kurrajong, had an idea for a wonderful community event, she pitched it to the Kurrajong Community Forum, and they saw a great idea too. That led to a fabulous free evening of jazz in Kurrajong Memorial Park. The Steve Arie trio entertained with smooth jazz and more than 100 people gathered on picnic rugs in a donation-only event. There was plenty of food, including the obligatory sausage sizzle, which was supplied by the Kurrajong Rural Fire Brigade. Grapes and ice-creams were on offer to help raise funds for the Kurrajong Community Forum. Even a small amount of rain did not dampen our spirits, and the whole event showed what a community can do together.

I want to acknowledge the grant from Hawkesbury City Council that made this event possible and pay tribute to the volunteers on the Kurrajong Community Forum who give up so many hours of their time for the community. Their last big event was Kurrajong-a-Buzz, which was not just your average weekend fair but also a chance to learn about bees and the important role that they play in our ecosystem. I am pleased to see the parliament is similarly encouraging bees. These events go to the heart of what Kurrajong is—a village originally surrounded by rural land and now facing the challenges of development but still, hopefully, able to keep its sense of being a lovely historic, rural village with a strongly connected community. It is also a great place to visit.