Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Maddie is a quiet achiever who shows great care and initiative. At eight years old, in year 2 at Mater Dei Catholic Primary School in Ashgrove, Maddie was the youngest participant in Ryan to be awarded my Julian Simmonds Young Community Leader Award for 2019. Throughout this year Maddie, with the support of her family and friends, has gone above and beyond to raise community awareness and fundraise for a cause that is close to her heart: cystic fibrosis, or CF. Maddie has a younger brother, Jack, who has cystic fibrosis. Jack is just six. Maddie is passionate about making a difference in everything that she does and, seeing firsthand what CF does to an individual, Maddie decided, with the support of her parents, to compete in the Noosa Triathlon this year to raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis Queensland.

As momentum and excitement gathered in preparation for the Noosa Triathlon, Maddie had the creative initiative of running a local dog wash and bake sale. With the help of her school friend Tilly, the girls baked homemade dog treats and approached local companies to donate dog shampoo for the event. The whole community got behind the girls, and they raised $1,200. In total this year, Maddie and her extended family have raised almost $12,000 for CF. She asked me to wear this pin today and raise awareness for this debilitating disease. Every four days a baby is born with CF, and it affects them. Thank you, Maddie, for being such an inspiration.