Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a pleasure to rise and speak about one of the great community success stories in my electorate of Forde. The Beenleigh Theatre Group is, indeed, the quintessential acorn that's grown into a sturdy oak and this year is celebrating its 40th year of bringing entertainment to our community. On 29 May 1978, Beenleigh residents Dan and Margaret Gregory called a meeting at their home to gauge interest in forming a theatre group. The response was immediate and positive, and the house on Main Street was packed to overflowing. The Beenleigh Theatre Group, or BTG as it has become known, was born that night. The first production of the Beenleigh Theatre group was staged in November of that year, 1978, at the Memorial Hall in Beenleigh, but only after negotiations with the local Quota club, who, in an act of generosity, kindly gave over one of their highly prized booked nights, allowing the group to offer a hugely successful two-night season. That production was Oklahoma!

The Beenleigh Theatre Group has had a remarkable history, surviving the limitations of a very small community when it launched. The population in Beenleigh at the time was some 4,000, but the group has flourished since and is now a fixture in a much larger community, hosting booked-out seasons year after year. Since 1993, the Beenleigh Theatre Group has called the Crete Street Theatre home, and the group now offers something for all ages. It has expanded its operation to including the highly popular Junior Entertainers Theatre School, or JETS, which teaches young people from five to 18 years of age all aspects of theatre craft, including theatre etiquette, audition technique, singing, dancing and acting. In 2007, the Beenleigh Theatre Group formed the community choir, A-Chord, open to anyone with a passion for singing, and, in 2011, the inclusion of a community based orchestra was also finalised.

The 40 years of success of the Beenleigh Theatre Group is no fluke. It's a result of selfless dedication and tireless commitment by scores of local residents from my community of Forde. This same volunteer spirit offered by thousands of Australians across hundreds of communities, large and small, is part of the backbone of our nation, and it's one of the features that makes our nation the envy of the rest of the world. On November 16, this year, the Beenleigh Theatre group's season of Oklahoma!, a celebration of their very first production 40 years ago, will open at the Crete Street Theatre.

I would like to commend to the House the Beenleigh Theatre Group and the scores of volunteers who have contributed to its success over four decades, including its current president, the well-known and highly respected Ian Maurice, and his very able committee.