Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure to bring to the House's attention the Stronger Communities Program recipients for the Werriwa electorate last year. I was pleased to recommend funding for the CNA-Italian Australian Services and Welfare Centre. CNA provides support for the Italian based community of the south-west of Sydney, providing daily programs for seniors, with Italian lunches and an opportunity to converse in Italian. Many of the seniors are isolated and are no longer able to drive. The Stronger Communities Grant secured them a bus, which means that they are able to get out of their houses and enjoy themselves. Health outcomes definitely improve with the older community when they're able to get out and enjoy themselves.

The bus is also used to pick up children for their Italian language classes. For families with an Italian background, it is important they are able to continue to converse and learn the language. In Werriwa, Italian is the second identified ancestry group after English. And it's well known that, as people age, it is often easier for them to converse in their native language. I acknowledge Giovanni Testa, the president of the Italian-Australian welfare centre and all the volunteers for their efforts in supporting their community and adding to the rich multicultural nature of the south-west of Sydney.

One of the other recipients was the Gunners Soccer Club at Macquarie Fields. The Gunners Soccer Club has been a fixture for soccer in the Macquarie Fields area for well over 40 years. It has teams that play within the Macarthur Football Association. The club has over 600 players, who range in age from toddlers, fours and fives, all the way to the senior ladies and men's over-45 competition. They welcome members from all parts of the community and are a truly multicultural club. The grant provided new fencing for the club's home ground at Bensley Road Reserve, Macquarie Fields, to ensure the new ground was safe for the littlies and also stopped people using trail bikes on the ground and ruining the surface.

Parents in my electorate and around the country know how important it is to support our kids being active and getting regular exercise, even if it's sometimes difficult to get them to practice in the games. I want to thank the Gunners Soccer Club for providing the kids and families of the Macquarie Fields area with a place to come together on afternoons and weekends and a place to get fit and to have a great time doing so. The efforts of both these organisations and all the Stronger Communities recipients build a stronger Werriwa, and they don't go unnoticed.