Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I had the pleasure of attending the Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry's annual Great Southern Business Awards on Saturday night. The event was held at the Albany Entertainment Centre, and I must say it was a glamorous and glitzy evening. It was wonderful to see more than 180 businesses and community leaders coming together to celebrate the success and achievements of our local businesses. The annual business awards are an opportunity to recognise businesses throughout the Great Southern and to share their success with others.

The star of the night was Susan McCabe from Busy Blue Bus Tours + Charters. Susan took home three awards, including Best Tourism Business, Business Leader of the Year and the prestigious Great Southern Business of the Year. Busy Blue Bus Tours + Charters was founded by Susan and her husband, James, in 2010 when their love of adventure and of their home in Albany inspired them to create a service that could share this beautiful region with the world. Over the years, demand for the quality transport and service James and Susan offer grew, and so did their business. They now operate a fleet of over 50 buses in Albany and Esperance and still have the same personalised, high standard of service as when they started. Congratulations and well done to Susan and her dedicated team.

Other award winners included Robert Quayle of Wilson Brewing Company, who took out Employer of the Year; Aarron Attwell of XESIV Digital, who won Young Business Person of the Year; and a great friend of mine MaryJane Gibbs, whose business, Waxiwraps, won the award for Best Home Based Business. I want to congratulate all nominees and award winners and give a big shout-out to Benita Cattalini and her team at the ACCI for staging the outstanding event.