Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Saturday, I attended the 60th anniversary celebrations of Pet City in Mount Gravatt. This is an amazing feat for an independent family owned store. I would like to speak today about the dedicated people who made this milestone possible, their contribution to the wider community and other small business news from my electorate. Pet City was opened by Evio Continati as Mount Gravatt Produce Agency in 1957. By the early 1970s the business had evolved to better meet the needs of pet owners, and the name pet city was adopted. Today it is a local business icon in the Mount Gravatt community and a multi-award winner in the pet industry.

The current store owner, Evio's daughter Kim Peries, has done an outstanding job of building up pet city. Under her guidance, pet city has partnered with local schools, respite centres and charity such as Rotary. Kim is also the Vice-President of the Southside Chamber of Commerce, which provides support and networking opportunities for local businesses. I am proud to support the Southside Chamber of Commerce's work helping small businesses in the area grow. Their new president, Kathleen Lewis, has kindly agreed to partner with me for an upcoming Q&A which I am hosting with the Minister for Small Business, the Honourable Michael McCormack. The Q&A will be open for small business owners in the area to come and discuss negative and positive experiences with the minister. It is a great opportunity and I encourage local business owners to attend.