Anika Wells (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday I was honoured to attend the Geebung RSL for a ceremonial day commemorating our Defence veterans who served in Afghanistan, East Timor and Iraq. It was a moving service, and I was pleased to see those in attendance paying tribute to those who've served our country in more recent years.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the good work being done by the Geebung RSL sub-branch and, broadly, the RSL sub-branches in my electorate of Lilley who are reaching out and engaging with younger Defence veterans in our community in particular. There is thriving advocacy going on, particularly in Sandgate, and I congratulate those responsible for that proactive and important work. I am pleased that the Albanese government is supporting outreach like this through the Building Excellence in Support and Training—BEST—grants program. In my electorate of Lilley, the Sandgate RSL sub-branch has received $16,033 to support the work they do with our Northside veterans through the BEST program. The funding ensures that this important work can continue.

Festival season is in full swing in my electorate of Lilley, and our glorious spring weather ensured that local residents were out and about on Brisbane's Northside last weekend. Built on the site of an old pineapple farm in 1964, St Kevin's Catholic Primary School at Geebung celebrated their 60th birthday with their 1960s-inspired spring fling on Saturday. I was pleased to join the school, its 350 students and their families as they donned their minidresses and their bell-bottom trousers to get into the spirit of this fundraiser, which sought to finance a new playground for the school. I was also happy to oblige when asked to bust out my best 1960s dance moves in a dance-off with the other politicians there. As federal Minister for Sport, it seemed only fitting that I chose to do the 'swim'. I will spare the chamber the re-enactment; the footage already lives forever online!

Next it was off to the Brighton Bulldogs football club for their gala day. The club, which started with one under-12 team in 1966, fielded their first girls team back in the mid-seventies. They've now grown to more than 50 teams in 2024; they're thriving. I give a special shout-out to the division 7 men, who won the grand final, and the women's division 2 and women's division 4, who finished the season as premiers on top of their respective tables.

Finally, Nundah Festival is one of the highlights of the Northside festival calendar and was again a roaring success with thousands in attendance. It is a beloved tradition in the community. The Nundah Festival draws visitors from all corners of Brisbane and is where families, friends and neighbours come together to celebrate the spirit and diversity of Nundah. It was a great day; I can't wait for the next one.

With my time remaining, I congratulate the Brisbane Lions on their thumping victory over the Carlton Blues on Saturday. May they now go to Greater Western Sydney on the weekend and reap some sweet justice on behalf of the Broncos against Greater Western Sydney. Good luck, boys.