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

It's my pleasure to take this opportunity to recognise the efforts of some great individuals across my electorate of Forde. On the weekend a number of locals in many of our electorates would have celebrated their birthday on 29 February. One such young man in my electorate, Isiah Stone, did exactly that. Eight-year-old Isiah, who goes to Calvary Christian College in Carbrook, had a wonderful second birthday party, with lots of big balloons and plenty of cake. When asked by ABC Radio in Brisbane what he wanted for his big day, the cheeky little fellow said, 'Lego Ninjago,' which I am pleased to inform the House he did receive. I have to admit that I had to look that up, because my boys are somewhat older!

I also had the pleasure over the weekend of attending a number of great events and award nights across the electorate run by the community for the community, in particular one last Friday night when I had the privilege of attending the annual Eagleby Achiever Awards held in honour of the extraordinary members of the Eagleby community.

Eagleby is a small suburb in Forde, with just over 14,000 people. Sadly, this community is often overlooked by passers-by, which is why nights like the Eagleby Achiever Awards are so important. They're an opportunity to recognise the work of all the great people, businesses and community organisations that make up the beating heart and soul of Eagleby.

This year 55 nominees were celebrated across nine award categories celebrating all things Eagleby, and at the night's end the winner of the coveted Spirit of Eagleby award was announced. We enjoyed the entertainment from local talent, including the aptly named Eagleby State School choir, EagleRocks, who sang the national anthem to get the evening started. Later on in the evening the Pelite family wowed the audience with their contributions.

End Time Harvest Ministries took out the Community Organisation of the Year award, being recognised for their work in building thriving communities and providing youth with a meaningful purpose to make their marks on the world.

Kassandra Cole won the Young Person of the Year award. This is testament to Kassandra's many achievements, some of which are: recipient of the Australian Airforce Cadets gliding scholarships; school swimming champion; and Queensland state winner of Wakakirri, one of Australia's largest performing arts event—and too many more to mention.

The Sports Achiever of the Year was awarded to Zechariah Tuialii. Zechariah is a devoted and passionate rugby league player and was recently recognised as the 2019 Sportsperson of the Year at Crestmead State School.

Nathan Hamon and Morning Rose Tofilau were the joint winners of the Arts Achiever of the Year. Nathan is a passionate supporter of the arts, and Morning Rose has been singing since she was six years old, delighting the community during her regular performances at church, community events, award ceremonies, and school art expos.

Gwen Robinson was recognised with the Senior of the Year award for her dedication to helping others and improving the community of Eagleby. She has a long history of volunteering at school fetes, sporting events and tuckshops, and the award is very well deserved—not least because her son, Wayne Robinson, is the president of the Australian Budgerigar Society. She deserves the award just for that!

Our early childhood educators play a key role in the growth and development of our children, and it's important that we acknowledge their role in the community. Simone Giles, from Natural Elements Early Learning Centre, was awarded the Educator of the Year, and the centre also took out the Business of the Year award, which I was also proud to sponsor. Natural Elements has been operating in Eagleby for over eight years and continues to provide quality early childhood education whilst contributing to and supporting our local community.

John Porter was recognised as the Volunteer of the Year for his work with Nightlight, a local not-for-profit that helps the homeless and those around our community who are struggling to make ends meet.

Finally, the Spirit of Eagleby award was presented to Jeff Barnes, who has made an outstanding contribution to the Eagleby community over the past 15 years. Jeff was the facilitator of Man-Up, a program that helps men become better husbands and fathers, and was instrumental in the establishment of Boredom Busters, a program that gives children between four and 12 years of age a safe environment to spend time and have fun after school.

I wish to thank everybody involved with the Eagleby Community Association for once again organising these awards. Well done to all the nominees and all the award winners.

House adjourned at 20:00