Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think a lot of us know that no-one ever leads a perfect life. Everyone has challenges from time to time. Some people have them more than others. It's not always the case that there'll be people there, necessarily, in your immediate circle of family and friends that can help. The great thing about my community in Chifley is that I get to see a lot of people step up to help those who, in a time of need, just need a bit of guidance.

Two of those people in my area are Sally and Marten Wynd. Back in the late nineties, with only 50 bucks, they started a mob called Eagles RAPS in Doonside. This has helped people, particularly young people, who just need a hand and someone to talk to and learn new skills from. Sometimes they've had trouble in school and problems in being able to get along. They receive that support through Eagles RAPS and, in particular, learn new skills that they can put to work to get a job and open up new opportunity to get a better life. In December, I got to see the graduation of a number of students from Eagles RAPS and the work that they've done with Amazon Web Services to learn digital skills that are in high demand. It's a great partnership between Eagles RAPS and Amazon.

I mention this because it was terrific to see Sally and Marten be recognised through the awarding of Order of Australia medals reflecting their community service. It is a just and fitting tribute to a pair that have done tremendous work in our area. The biggest thing I want to say to them is: thank you for believing in the young people of Doonside and the western suburbs and for making sure that they have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

During the Australia Day ceremonies that occurred in our area, particularly in Blacktown City Council's area, a number of people were recognised. In particular, in the awards that were celebrated, the Mount Druitt Family Science Fun Day, organised by MECA, took out the prize for community event of the year. I saw it firsthand, and it is a fantastic way to encourage science participation. Paul Wynne from Prospect, who helped create Grace's Place in Doonside, a first-of-its-kind centre that helps kids who've lost family members, won citizen of the year. The young citizen of the year was Marion Coles, who started Pay It Forward Angels, which has grown into a network of 1,400 volunteers. Over Christmas, they gave out more than 400 gifts to people doing it tough. That's the type of community spirit we love. Thank you to all those people who do tremendous work in our area to build better and stronger neighbourhoods.