Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday 27 May I attended the 11th annual Berry Celtic Festival. It was great to be chauffeured to the meeting point in Mike and Deirdre's 'chitty chitty bang bang' car and then to ride in the horse and carriage in the parade featuring the amazing pipe and drum bands.

This year the Isle of Man were the featured Celts. The activities included jousting; Celtic singing; pipe band marching; Celtic fiddlers; Highland dancing; clan representatives, medieval knights—which were tremendous; vintage cars and motorcycles; and Scottish terrier dogs.

Over 11 years, the Berry Celtic Festival has raised more than $100,000 for local cancer support services in the Shoalhaven—initially for the linear accelerator that is now in the Shoalhaven because of universal local community support. They are now raising money for Can Assist.

I am proud to take this opportunity to say that the health budget is also taking cancer seriously, with $230 million funding for cancer treatments, screening and research, including cervical cancer screening; mammogram screening for women 50 to 74 years of age; more prostate cancer nurses; fighting childhood cancer, which includes paediatric brain cancer clinical trials; $5 million to CanTeen; as well as $68 million towards the establishment of Australia's first proton beam therapy facility. Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Berry, Berry Celtic Festival Coordinator John Brentnall and Secretary Mary Seelis, all our regional Rotarians, sponsors Berry IGA and Raine and Horne Berry, the Berry Showground Trust and the Berry Chamber of Commerce.