Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently visited the beautiful city of Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. With the wonderful local member, Rebecca Stephens, I attended the AGM of the Albany Surf Life Saving Club, after hearing about the club's activities and plans. The club awarded three life memberships to Patrick McSweeney, Dani Lynch and Byron Bird for their extraordinary contributions to the club over many years.

Patrick McSweeney has been a leader of the Albany support operations jet ski team, has developed safer operational practices for response teams and has been an important club sponsor for many years. Dani Lynch has twice been awarded Boatie of the Year for her commitment to surfboat rowing and for being a mentor and leader across the club, including in surfboats, lifesaving and nippers. Byron Bird, also a former Boatie of the Year, has contributed extensively to surf lifesaving operations, including in situations of considerable risk. He is a highly regarded surfboat sweep and development coach.

While in Albany, it was also wonderful to represent Minister Catherine King at the opening of stage 1A of the Albany Motorsport Park, a motocross track and four-wheel drive and all-terrain vehicle track. This project is more than a decade in the making and sits on a beautiful site in Albany. The next stage will expand the motorsport park, through the construction of a paved, 3.25 kilometre track for superbikes and supercars.

27 July 2024 was also the 71st anniversary of the armistice which ended the Korean War. Rebecca Stephens and I laid wreaths at the Albany war memorial to commemorate the cessation of hostilities and to honour the service personnel who served Australia in that conflict.