Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

AE () (): Eight weeks ago I stepped onto the greens of the Avenue Bowling Club in Bacchus Marsh for the annual corporate challenge. This event has been running for some 25 years. Businesses, community and sporting groups, along with a very light sprinkling of politicians, enthusiastically descend on the greens for some seriously good fun. While the bowling is a little wayward and mastering the line and length is a little bit harder than it looks, there's definitely no shortage of laughs, and the occasional good bowl—very occasional good bowl—is met with cheers and applause from teammates, opposition and willing spectators alike.

I want to congratulate the many volunteers who give up their time each and every week and turn up to do what's necessary to make this event one of the most popular community events every year. Whether it's setting up the greens, coordinating the games, working behind the bar, steaming the dim sims or selling raffle tickets, your work is invaluable. I'll take a moment to thank my teammates: Les Williams; Russell Bell; Councillor David Edwards; and my state counterparts, Steve McGhie, the MP for Melton, and Michaela Settle, the MP for Eureka. We all had a ball. I also want to give a shout-out to one of my staff, champion bowler and Bacchus Marsh legend Di McAuliffe, whose coaching was absolutely invaluable, if a little underwhelming in its outcome.

The Avenue Bowling Club and the Bacchus Marsh Bowling Club have a very exciting couple of years ahead, as the two clubs merge over 150 years of history into one club and seek to move to a fantastic new facility under the banner of the new Bacchus Marsh Bowls Club, which is shortly going to begin development. I look forward to honing my skills—and there's a lot of honing to be done—and hitting the greens for the corporate challenge in 2024.

On Sunday I was delighted to attend the annual Rehmat Sandhu Foundation Easter celebration hosted in Hannah Watts Park in Melton. This is a free community event, and it was a raging success, with over 2,000 locals coming down to enjoy a sausage sizzle, face painting, popcorn, ice cream and, of course, the annual Easter egg hunt. The Rehmat Sandhu Foundation is run by my friend and Melton local Ravinder Kaur, in loving memory of her son, who sadly passed away in 2014. The charity not only runs outstanding community events but also supports some of the most vulnerable people in our community. The foundation provides assistance to victims of domestic violence and those facing financial hardship, and it's also a registered NDIS provider. I would like to thank Ravinder for all that she does for people in our community and congratulate her on another very successful event. I look forward to next year, as do my kids.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further constituency statements by honourable members, the next item of business will be called on.