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

Last weekend typified what a wonderfully diverse electorate I represent and the people who work so hard to make it a community. I attended a moving Remembrance Day ceremony organised by Burwood Council and Burwood RSL Sub-Branch. In all of these commemorations, they always involve local students. This time it was the wind ensemble from Santa Sabina College providing a fitting tribute to remember those who sacrificed so much for us. A constant presence at these events is a man by the name of Dennis Quinlan, master of ceremonies and a fixture at Burwood RSL Sub-Branch for over two decades. He's had a tough year this year with illness, and he said to me that he thought it might be time for him to pass the baton on. Thank you to Dennis for your service and commitment to honouring our veterans.

I spoke at the inauguration of Esther Hye Young Kim, who was elected as the 34th President of the Korean Society of Sydney. She's a pioneer—the first woman to hold the role. Esther has a deep commitment to serving not just the Korean-Australian community but the broader community. She wants to share the Korean culture and traditions with all of Australia. I saw that firsthand when she ran the G'day Together event in Five Dock to celebrate Australia Day, where K-pop dancers performed alongside a Chinese dancing group, Ukrainian dancers and an Indigenous singer. Congratulations, Esther.

I opened the fete at Russell Lea Public School, the first one they've had in a number of years. It was a lovely event with some great student performances, including Elvis impersonators. Principal Dan Sprange even got in the dunk tank to raise funds for the school. The strength of the community spirit could be seen in the return of year 6 students who were there helping with the fete. Congratulations to Russell Lea staff and the P&C.

Every year the team at Saint Nectarios church in Burwood host the Greek Street Fair, a celebration of Greek heritage and spirit. I love indulging in my favourite Greek sweets, loukoumades. Congratulations to all the team at the Saint Nectarios community, in particular Penelope Kioussis, whose dedication to the Greek community is unparalleled.

I got to attend the Sri Durga Devi Devasthanam annual dinner. The temple and community facilities were the brainchild of Mike Mahendran Ratnam, providing a wonderful place for the Hindu community to gather for celebrations and worship. It's a 10-year labour of love to develop and construct the community facilities. Congratulations to everyone involved.