Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to acknowledge the impressive efforts of five of my constituents—Sam Fowler, Kevin Buhler, Liz Harrison and husband-and-wife duo Ken and Lorrae Fitzgerald—who recently took part in the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Thailand. Ranging in age from 17 to somewhere over 60, each of them was selected to represent our country as part of the Auroras, the Australian national team. I've got to say that they did more than represent. They can home with a full swag of medals. In fact, between the five of them, these legends paddled their way to 25 medals. Listening to the team outline their intense training sessions and hours on the water was not only inspiring but tiring. Hearing them describe receiving their medals while the anthem played behind them was enough to bring any proud Aussie to tears. I give a huge congratulations and heartfelt thankyou to each of you for your stellar efforts and for showing the world what Australian grit and determination can achieve. I know that your sport will continue to grow and gain popularity in our region for its sense of camaraderie and appeal to all ages, and I can't wait to see the results from the next world competition, over in Germany. Go the green and gold, and congratulations to all of you.