Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I had the great pleasure of hosting the Minister for Social Services in my electorate of Bennelong for a visit to one of our great local volunteer-run organisations. The minister and I headed over to the Riding for the Disabled Association in Ryde, one of the 26 organisations that received over $66,000 in funding through the latest round of federal government volunteer grants. Riding for the Disabled is an extraordinary organisation run by extraordinary volunteers. It helps kids and adults through therapeutic horse-related activities. Each week, they run 10 therapy classes, serving approximately five to six riders per session. This includes individual riders and groups from our four local special-needs units in our public primary schools. They've used these grants for a new computer system, a more efficient fridge and now the acquisition of some battery powered garden tools to help manage their property and, of course, to help lower their emissions. The minister and I also got to meet the horses, who do plenty of the work at Ryde RDA. They've got seven horses on site. Maybe one was called Gertrude! But their newest horse was in training. It's called 'Bendigo' and is sponsored by the local Bendigo Bank in Epping.

Congratulations to all volunteer organisations that received these important grants. From power tools to defibrillators, fuel vouchers and laptops to break down the digital divide, these grants recognise the importance of volunteering in our community.