Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Volunteers have a strong presence throughout the Gold Coast community; they are the glue that holds everything together. There are many members across the House who have spoken this week about their local volunteer awards and what they do to celebrate their contributions across our nation.

Volunteers in Moncrieff help out with local sporting teams, they respond to natural disasters and emergencies and they assist local charities to support some of our most disadvantaged, particularly during the cost-of-living crisis that Australians are facing and that Gold Coasters are not exempt from.

Volunteers and volunteering have never been more important than today, in our tough times. Last Thursday it was a great pleasure and privilege to host the 2024 Moncrieff Community Volunteer Awards at Merrimac State High School, on the Gold Coast. Merrimac State High School were very generous to provide their hall for a second year in a row, in order for me to host the volunteer awards. I want to thank the principal, Rachel Cutajar. She does a fantastic job at Merrimac State High School, but so does the whole Merrimac team and the Gold Coast community in their continued support for this event that celebrates our wonderful volunteers. We heard the high school band, consisting of students from grades 7 to12, which was a highlight for me. It was a stage band with a mix of grades, and they did a fantastic job with the national anthem and played some other music.

The awards provide us with the opportunity to recognise volunteers for their contributions that they make to the central Gold Coast community. They simply are an inspiration to our community and to our nation. We are richer for them. They are also an inspiration to me. We're lucky to have so many who do the hard yards in the community and give up their time to provide a helping hand when required, be it to their neighbours, their friends, their colleagues or simply through charities.

This year, we had a whopping number of nominations as we celebrated 63 individuals for their efforts to step up and stand out as bright, shining stars in our community. I've added an award since becoming the member for Moncrieff: the Gladys Moncrieff Award. That is for the volunteer who stands out and who has gone above and beyond in the year to support the Gold Coast community. Previous Gladys Moncrieff Award winners Joan O'Keefe and Bill Wakefield joined me on stage to present the award—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 10:45 to 10:56

This year, that accolade went to Suzanne McDonald OAM for all of her dedication and commitment to Southport Surf Lifesaving Club. She exemplifies what it is to be a volunteer and the type of community spirit that is only found on the Gold Coast, in my view. I could not think of anyone more deserving of this award than Sue. She joined the Southport Surf Lifesaving Club in 1986 and has always been an active member. She has completed 2,230 patrol and community hours on the beach, rarely missing a patrol. Sue often covers the additional voluntary patrols on Christmas Day and Good Friday, so she is absolutely a giver. She has worked tirelessly for the Southport Surf Lifesaving Club and is an inspiration for the many younger members of the Southport Surf Lifesaving Club and the wider surf lifesaving community in South Coast.

I also want to mention and congratulate the headspace Southport Youth Advisory Council volunteers, who received the 2024 Gladys Moncrieff Youth Award. I'm very proud of the work at headspace Southport for young people, and this award is presented to a young person or group who show compassion, consideration and service well beyond their years. The young people on the headspace Southport Youth Advisory Council are passionate about giving young people a voice and making the needs of young people heard. They volunteer their time to engage with the community's most marginalised and vulnerable young people.

These selfless young people not only give up their time but also fearlessly share their own experience of their mental health challenges—of bullying, neurodiversity and physical illness, just to name a few. Their time and their passion for volunteering in the community directly improves the likelihood that young people will be referred or reach out to headspace for support. It was so heartwarming to see and to celebrate these incredible individuals. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their selfless work across the Gold Coast community, particularly in Moncrieff on the central Gold Coast.

To the members of the community cabinet who were there from SOP, from the Sikh temple at Nerang, from the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara: you are the glue that holds our community together, and I thank you very much.