Page 543 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 8 March 2011
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the people who are caught in the middle who suffer the most and typically children, women and older people.
I would like to acknowledge Jeremy Liyanage of Diaspora Lanka who has been promoting the exhibition across the country. All proceeds from the exhibition go towards development projects in north Sri Lanka, where Diaspora Lanka works with local partners. I do acknowledge that the projects of Diaspora Lanka are aiming to help Tamil people in the north of Sri Lanka, and I do hope they are able to achieve their aims. I will be very interested in hearing about the projects and how they progress and look forward to receiving ongoing information about them in the future.
On 24 February, I spoke at a rally at Parliament House regarding the situation in Sri Lanka for the Tamil community. This rally was to object to the appointment of an ex-navy commander as the next High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in Australia. This appointment has understandably caused significant distress in the Tamil community and does not aid in addressing current issues of concern that are still occurring in Sri Lanka. The Tamil community are calling on the Australian government and all federal MPs to object to this appointment.
Leukaemia Foundation
Australia Thailand Association
MR HANSON (Molonglo) (4.48): Yesterday I attended the ACT launch of the Leukaemia Foundation’s “shave for a cure” that was conducted at King O’Malley’s Irish pub in Civic and hosted by Peter Barclay from King O’Malley’s. I note that he does a lot of very good work in the community. It was only late last year that he held a tripartisan event at his establishment for the prostate cancer association of the ACT.
It was also hosted by Marie Hutley Jackson, who is the representative from the Leukaemia Foundation here in the ACT. In attendance were friends of families, people who have survived leukaemia and their supporters and a number of ACT firefighters, including one who cut my hair, Ron, who thankfully was a barber before becoming a firefighter, which is quite an unusual career progression. He was there assisted by his young daughter. Thankfully, I got a buzz cut rather than a shave, probably thankfully, but my wife actually said I could do better next year. She has insisted that I go the whole hog next year. If I do do it again, it will be at least down to the No 1.
But why do we do this? Why is it this time every year people either get their hair shaved or coloured? It is to do two things. One is to raise the awareness of blood cancers. It is also to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. The Leukaemia Foundation’s “world’s greatest shave” is one of the nation’s biggest fundraising events, with an anticipated 125,000 Australians shaving or colouring their hair. It is the 13th anniversary of this event this year in 2011. All the funds raised will go towards the care of patients and families living with leukaemias, lymphomas, myeloma and other related blood disorders.
The Leukaemia Foundation funds cutting-edge research into better treatments and cures through its national research program. It provides free support services,
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