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

We all have many wonderful community organisations across our electorates. I'd like to take the opportunity today to acknowledge the work of Quota Beenleigh. I had the pleasure of attending their changeover dinner last week, where we were able to thank the outgoing committee members as well as welcoming and congratulating the new management committee. In addition, we were able to celebrate the wonderful work and fundraising they do through their annual eisteddfod, which allows them to make a range of donations to other community groups to make our place a better place for everybody to live in.

Quota Beenleigh has a number of subgroups. They have a junior Quota club at Loganlea State High School. They had Quota clubs at Windaroo Valley State High School and Beenleigh State High School, but those two have now merged for the coming year.

The last 12 months have been quite busy for Quota, with events like the Big Box Sleepout, the Teddy Bears Picnic and nursing home visits, as well as McDonald's fundraisers to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House. The Teddy Bears Picnic allowed the members of Junior Quota to join me at my inaugural Forde Family Expo in June last year. With over 3,000 people coming through the door at the expo, they definitely had their hands full but rose to the challenge, providing families with some amazing entertainment throughout the day. This included activities such as arts and crafts, games and performances. The Forde Family Expo will be returning to the Beenleigh Showgrounds on 8 June this year, and I look forward to welcoming Junior Quota and their Teddy Bears Picnic again in a few months time. The Loganlea Junior Quota team also participated in the Anzac Day ceremony at the lifestyle centre at Mount Warren Park and took part in Mother's Day and Father's Day events at the centre.

'Dare, Dream and Deliver' was the theme of the night, with over 90 guests joining to celebrate the successes of 2023 and looking forward to a new year in 2024. Congratulations to the 2024 president, Judy Ludwig, and her team: vice-president Narelle Downes, secretary Cheryl Billiau, treasurer Margaret George, development and growth chair Sandra Hansen, service chair Karen Murphy and eisteddfod coordinator Heather Christensen. With the new leadership team in place for 2024, I look forward to continuing to work with Quota Beenleigh in making our community a better place for all of us to live in.

I also had the privilege last month of attending the Logan Artists Association collective group exhibition. It's the first exhibition for the Association in 2024, and it featured the works of Taiwanese postgraduate university students undertaking their masters or PhD, as well as Australian artists. The goal of the event was to foster relationships within the Taiwanese and Australian art communities, and, judging by the collaboration between the exhibitors and the quality of the artworks, I would say this goal was well and truly achieved. The incredible works on display showcased the dedication of the artists featured and the passion they have for their craft. For me, having been to Taiwan a number of times, it was terrific to see Taiwanese artists come to Australia and engage with our local artistic community and to continue to see those relationships grow and develop. Thank you to the team at Logan Artists Association for hosting this event, and congratulations to all the artists involved for putting together such a successful exhibition.

On a sad note, I would like to close by paying tribute to a wonderful gentleman in our community, Lindley Petterwood. A stalwart of the Ormeau community but also a stalwart of the LNP and the Forde FDC over many, many years, Lin passed away recently. He was a tremendous supporter of the party, going above and beyond across many campaigns, not just for me but for my predecessor Kay Elson. In my early political career, he was a tremendous mentor and helped guide me through the challenges of becoming a new member of parliament. His commitment and dedication were always an enormous help to me, and he always volunteered his time wherever he could. Lin's other passions were his successful businesses, Mr Workwear and Beren Promotional Products at Ormeau. Whether it was supplying other local businesses with the materials and clothing they needed to grow and succeed or supporting our local community organisations or sporting clubs, he was always willing to lend a hand. My sincerest condolences to his wife, Barbara, and his family. I will miss his support and friendship. May he rest in peace.