David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 15 November I attended the St Declan's Catholic Primary School's parents and friends annual general meeting, and it was a great discussion to have with the parents. St Declan's has been around since 1907, providing high-quality Catholic education to many thousands of students in that time. On the night that I met with the P&F, we discussed a range of issues, particularly concerning traffic safety around the school. St Declan's is in a built-up area near Forrest Road in Penshurst, and the reality is that traffic safety could and should be improved. I am discussing those matters at present with the local council. I thank Cathy Hollamby, the president of the P&F, Sarah Minns, the secretary, and all the other P&F members who were there that evening for their hospitality. I would also like to acknowledge Maria Ross, who has been the principal at St Declan's for a number of years and does a great job in our local community.

On 12 November, I attended the annual presentation day for the Picnic Point Netball Club. It was held at the popular Mill Hotel in Milperra. The Picnic Point Pumas are one of the biggest netball clubs anywhere in the Bankstown region, with more than 200 players. To give you a sense of the enthusiasm and quality of this club, the club has 18 teams, 17 of which made it to at least the semifinals this year. So there has been a fantastic contribution from the club. I say thank you to Kim Childs, the secretary of the Pumas, for inviting me along on the day and congratulations to all the players on what was a particularly good season.

Yesterday, I attended the Riverwood Squadron's Christmas function and annual prize-giving ceremony. The Riverwood Squadron of the Australian Air League is a remarkable institution that has been in existence for 60 years. They are one of the most active organisations in our community. Their band is seen pretty much every week at a community event in our area. The young men—106-strong in the squadron now, with ages ranging from less than 10 right up to older teenagers—do a wonderful job. They learn about aviation. They learn about discipline. They also learn about contributing more broadly to our community. Congratulations to Chris Bailey, the commanding officer of the squadron. He has been in the role for 19 years, and they have been 19 very successful years for the Riverwood Squadron of the Australian Air League.