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

It's been more than a week since Australia Day passed, but this is a great opportunity to not only talk about how important Australia Day is to the electorate of Forde and to recognise what a wonderful country we live in but, in that recognition, acknowledge that the reason we live in a wonderful country is because of the tremendous contribution that members of our local communities make at both a local and a state level. We should be very proud of that and the opportunity to share with the House some of those successes in the electorate of Forde today.

One of the things that bring the community together like no other is an awards ceremony. Not only were some of Forde's best and brightest heralded at the Logan City Council's Australia Day awards but one individual from Shailer Park received one of the nation's foremost honours, the national 2025 Young Australian of the Year.

Dr Katrina Wruck, a resident of Forde, has long advocated for First Nations knowledge and shared her passion for science with others. Dr Wruck's findings are giving back to remote communities, and, based on her research, Katrina set up a profit-for-purpose business which is set to alter the consumer goods sector by harnessing the power of green chemistry while inspiring others to step into STEM.

Her method of converting mining by-products to zeolite LTA, which can remove contaminants from water that cause hardness, will be commercialised. Her postdoctoral research examines how to break down dangerous forever chemicals into benign ones. Altogether, Katrina's work is a possible footing for reducing global contamination. Her work has been recognised with several awards, and she is already well known in her field for her efforts. I commend her for all of her remarkable achievements to date.

Closer to home, 180 constituents from 41 countries became new Australian citizens. Logan City Council held their annual event at the Beenleigh Events Centre, welcoming new citizens to Australia. To be an Australian citizen is a tremendous honour and privilege, and I think it's important that we consistently remind ourselves of this.

On top of welcoming in the new citizens, two awards were presented on the day: the Citizen of the Year and the Young Citizen of the Year. Abdul Khan from Woodridge was named as Citizen of the Year. Whilst Mr Khan resides in the neighbouring electorate of Rankin, his community impact does not recognise electorate boundaries. Abdul established the Logan Roos Football Club in 2016 to support refugees and migrants as they transition to a new life here in Australia. The Young Citizen of the Year was awarded to Lilly Rider. Lilly, who graduated from Waterford's Canterbury College last year, was instrumental in igniting a passion among her fellow students and teachers to assist Orange Sky Australia. That passion shone a light on homelessness and raised almost $5,000 for the organisation's work back in 2021. Over the past four years, the students led by Lilly have raised a further $103,000 for Orange Sky, as well as another $12,000 with the support of her family and friends. People like Lilly and Abdul go about their work quietly behind the scenes, not seeking plaudits or plaques but to benefit the people across the Forde electorate and surrounding areas to make their lives better each and every day.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to mention the other nominees. Though they might not have received an award, it does nothing to diminish the incredible impact each and every one of them has on our region. I wish to commend Maria Brereton, Derby Sante, Jean Davis, Kenneth McKay, Melissa Ryman, Stephanie Blooms, Claire Taylor, Imran Fazel Kahn, John Ennever, Lynda Jane Tilley, Zakaria Min and Sharol Rudd.

I take this moment to congratulate Eagleby's Professor Megan Davis also on being awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia. Wongawallan's Jan Morland was presented a Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to equestrian sports. Dr Keith Graham from Shailer Park was presented with a Public Service Medal, and Loganholme's Senior Sergeant Jacinta Pannowitz was awarded an Australian Police Medal. Congratulations to all involved.