Page 2004 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2022
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hosting cricket events. They hosted the Pink Stumps Day and the Independence Day Cup at Bonner Oval earlier in the year. Both events were enthusiastically embraced by the community, and I am confident in describing them as fast becoming Yerrabi institutions. Congratulations to IAMSA, and all of the parents and athletes, on the continuing work they do in supporting our local sporting community.
Another notable Yerrabi event was the AusIndia Fair and Harmony Day celebration hosted by FINACT back in April. Activities included yoga sessions. There was a tug of war, which was unfairly stacked out with David Pocock at one end and the rest of us trying to beat him at the other. There were stalls, cultural programs and even a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic. The fair’s stated aims of promoting harmony, bringing communities together, celebrating diversity and providing an opportunity to safely perform and socialise in person were clearly a resounding success.
I also had the great pleasure of attending the Canberra Malays association event last Saturday. Their cultural program, showcasing all of the great performances across their community, was absolutely astounding. I think everyone agreed that it raised the bar for what you could achieve in a cultural program.
The very next day, on Sunday, which was World Environment Day, my office, along with the Friends of Grasslands, hosted a tree-planting day at Budjan Galindji grasslands in Franklin. Despite the fact that it was incredibly cold, with icy winds and very soggy ground, plus the constant threat of rain, heaps of people still turned up and optimistically made a day of it. The rain held off and we were able to put the tube stock out faster than we anticipated, which meant that we were able to knock off a little bit early and warm up our fingers and toes.
We planted a total of 400 tube stock, which, in my opinion, is not bad for about two hours work. It is amazing what people can do when they move fast in order to get out of the cold. It will be great to see these plants start to rejuvenate those grasslands, with wattles, acacias and local grasses starting to restore the grasslands to what they are capable of being. The number of people who came out during that cold weather showed their support for the environment.
Domestic and family violence services—Doris Women’s Refuge
MS LEE (Kurrajong—Leader of the Opposition) (5.31): Last year I had the great privilege and honour of naming the Kim Ransa Safe House, a women’s refuge run by the Doris Women’s Refuge. It was to provide a safe place for migrant women and children who were leaving domestic and family violence relationships and families. It came about as a result of a very charitable gesture made by a private citizen, who donated a house for six months so that this could happen. There were donors who raised the rest of the money to pay for essentials like electricity bills and food.
Whilst it was always meant to be a temporary measure—it was a house that was donated for six months—it was incredibly sad to hear last month that the model had not been taken up and it was in danger of closing. Certainly, the hardworking women at Doris Women’s Refuge have done everything they can to try and fill this gap.
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