Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to talk about a major running event in my electorate, the WesTrac Bunbury Geographe Gift, which will be held on 29 February and 1 March this year. It's the third consecutive year of this event and there are a whole lot of volunteers involved—wonderful local volunteers. This 120-metre gift is the second-richest footrace and running carnival in Australia. It has equal prize money for men and women, with $14,000 as the first prize. We've previously had an abundance of national talent, including Jack Hale, Trae Williams, Riley Day, Celeste Mucci, Genavive La Caze and Ryan Gregson. This year we have one of WA's best Tokyo 2020 Olympics chances in Matt Ramsden. He will be joined by Sarah Billings, who is one of Australia's best middle-distance runners.

Equally, the Bunbury Street Pole Vault event was held recently. It's the only event of its kind in the country—apparently, we were told, in the Southern Hemisphere. It had Australia's best pole vaulters, including Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kurtis Marschall, Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Nina Kennedy and two other Commonwealth Games competitors. We know that Kurtis Marschall qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics the week after the Bunbury event. We had an international contingent from Finland, including the three-time Finnish national champion, Tomas Wecksten. There was also much interest in our local Bunbury junior pole vaulter, Indiana West—a 13-year-old young lady who's recently won gold in the schools championships. This was a great opportunity for locals as well as those who come from around Australia.

Over the course of the afternoon, the event attracted approximately 4,500 people into Bunbury's central business district, and many businesses adjacent to the event actually reported great interest and more patronage as a result, which is really good—record sales. There was a social media competition, with over 150 entries, showcasing the event, with Bunbury's iconic landmarks in the background. The ambition is to continue to grow the event, as you would understand. I want to congratulate Dylan Panizza for organising the event. There are a few others who have done an enormous job on both of these events over time, including the Piacentini family, and Tom Dillon, who I couldn't afford not to mention.

Congratulations also to the number of volunteers who recently helped with the Busselton Jetty Swim. This is an amazing event, with over 3,000 participants and 7,500 spectators. This 3.6-kilometre swim has recently had its 25th anniversary. What a great job by everyone.