Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 20 October, the 2nd Abbotsford Sea Scouts group celebrated their 90th consecutive year of operation, making them one of the oldest Sea Scouts groups in the country. This group has long connections to my electorate of Reid and has deep ties to many families in the community. They operated through the Second World War, with many older scouts and leaders leaving the group to enlist in the armed services. Through the post-war baby boom, the group flourished, with a vibrant program for kids of working families across the community. Today, they continue to run a suite of superb activities such as sailing, waterskiing, hiking and camping. All these sports allow participants to develop their physical and social skills in a fun team setting.

So I want to thank and congratulate the group for their contribution to the community. They are teaching kids to love and appreciate the great outdoors and, importantly, they are teaching them to work as a team, supporting and looking out for each other. Scouts play a crucial role in building leadership in our kids, and I want to congratulate the 2nd Abbotsford Sea Scouts group on their 90 years of operation. I thank the volunteer scout leaders, in particular group leader Con Zacharias, for all their hard work and commitment to the local community.