David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to bring to the attention of the House a bicentennial festival that was held at Rollands Plains, north-west of Port Macquarie. It was one of the earliest agricultural centres of production north of the Sydney basin in early colonial times. Two hundred years of families have lived and worked in the area, first in the sugar cane industry, which was started in the Hastings River and rapidly moved up to the Wilson River and to Rollands Plains. There were historical mementos from multiple generations and multiple families. Hundreds of people returned from around the country, as many people have moved to other places in New South Wales, Queensland and overseas. As well, there were many items of historical memorabilia. The committee put on a wonderful celebration.

After that I had the opportunity of attending the wonderful Old Bar Beach Festival, which gets stronger and stronger every year. The Old Bar Beach Festival is held on the October long weekend, and I would like to congratulate the committee for all their efforts to get together a variety of displays. It's obviously well known for its kombi festival with its restored kombi vans—VW Kombis, an icon of car design—as well as many other classic cars and small bikes, all assembled. There are literally hundreds of old cars that have been restored amazingly, and the very best of them are on show at the Old Bar Beach Festival. Also there are megamarkets, fireworks and acrobatics. This year, they even had a movie festival on the Friday night, including a recent movie about kombis and an adventure. Herbie, the old beetle, was also present—the exact replica from the 'Love Bug' movies of the 1960s—and we had the latest electric kombi on display.

This committee has done an amazing job. It's a not-for-profit community group. They all do it for the benefit of people who are car nuts and for the communities that live on the coast at Old Bar, west of Taree on the banks of the Manning River. Old Bar has got the nearest beach to this area. So we had people from north and south staying in the district and contributing to the tourism spend.

I congratulate all the committee members who put on the bicentennial festival at Rollands Plains and this year's Old Bar Beach Festival.