Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week, I joined Westpac at their South Perth branch in my electorate of Swan for a morning tea to present Sports Challenge Australia with $10,000 from the Westpac Foundation. Sports Challenge Australia uses the medium of sports to help at-risk children to reach their full potential. Sports Challenge Australia is a Perth based organisation and was established in 1992 by Dr Garry Tester. Dr Tester created Sports Challenge as a world-first experimental mentoring program, using sports and problem-solving activities to encourage children and teenagers to use more of their full potential in all areas, with peers, family, friends and their broader communities.

The program begins with a questionnaire completed by the whole school, which evaluates things like peer interaction, confidence, ability to achieve and family interaction. Once this is completed, students are selected to take part in the Sports Challenge program. These children then take part in mentor sessions and training programs to assist their development in a wide range of life skills. I congratulate Dr Tester for receiving the grant. It is very well deserved.

I'd also like to thank Westpac regional general manager Gordon Hill and South Perth branch manager Matthew Sawyer for a fantastic morning tea, and also all the members of the local community that attended the event. In line with Westpac's 200th anniversary, they awarded 200 community grants like this to organisations that improve the lives of many Australians, 22 of which were awarded to organisations in the great state of WA.