Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are many reasons why people love living on the northern beaches of the Coffs Coast, and why tourists flock to our region throughout the year, not the least of which is the wonderful hospitality industry we have, which has recently been recognised in the AHA awards. Congratulations to the North Coast Hotel Group, which includes both the Moonee Beach Tavern and the Seaview Tavern in Woolgoolga. Winning the Best Family Friendly Hotel award was the Moonee Beach Tavern. The tavern is renowned for its community involvement, and it has a kids corner that makes the tavern a very family-friendly venue. Well done to director, Harry Barry, and his wife, Jennifer, as well as the rest of the management staff—Mark Pearce, Damien and Sylvia Duggan, and Tim Hayden. In the Chef of the Year category, the Seaview Tavern chef, Gerard Geerligs, was highly commended, which was a great achievement given that the category attracted some 200 entrants. Congratulations, Gerard!

Last week, the Lifesaving World Championships were held in Adelaide, with the Yamba Surf Club sending boat crews and individuals to compete. The women's boat crew, consisting of Leah Essex, Jo King, Andrea Nikas, Tash Hancock and sweep, Ray Wiblen, won a bronze medal in their division of the masters 160-plus years category and narrowly missed qualifying for the women's reserves quarterfinals. The men's reserves crew, consisting of Dylan Greeff, Michael Barker, Zac Brotherson, Ray Wiblen and sweep, Rodney McSkimming, surged through the heats and qualified easily for the final on points. The final was a close race, with Yamba being pipped at the post. To claim a silver medal on the world stage is a great achievement, given that this crew has only been together for just over a year. It was also the first time they had ever made it to the podium. There were some very impressive individual results as well, with Dylan Greeff finishing eighth in the two-kilometre run and David Frakes placing seventh in the over-70s ski race. My congratulations to all the competitors!

Last week, the Woolgoolga Surf Life Saving Club travelled to Adelaide to compete in the 2018 Lifesaving World Championships, coming home with a bronze medal . The open women's crew consisted of Katherine White, Rachel Kee, Julie-Anne Templeton, Meg Matthews and sweep, Damien McSkimming. This was Woolgoolga surf club's first time competing at the international event, and to win a medal is an outstanding achievement. Congratulations to all the crews that took part, and I would also like to thank the boat captain, Trevor Clarke, for the wonderful job that he does at the club.