Page 4140 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 26 November 2014
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It is also important to acknowledge that the committee was made up entirely of mums, all of whom have paid jobs, with the majority working full time. The committee worked very hard, often out of hours, late at night, and some even took annual leave from their jobs to organise and run the fete. I want to thank each and every one for working so hard to deliver such a fun and successful community gathering for both adults and children alike. I know how much work, time and energy each person must have put in to make this day happen, and that is on top of their normal lives of juggling home and work responsibilities.
I want to thank everybody that came down to say hello and support this local west Belconnen public school. Special thanks, of course, go to the Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher, who came down to show her support.
Ms Gallagher: I got the best banana cake.
MS BERRY: Indeed. I am grateful that we have such a dedicated group of parents, carers and school community that are committed to supporting their school. Congratulations to everyone involved. You should feel proud of your efforts that led to such a successful and fun day.
St Vincent’s Primary School
MR COE (Ginninderra) (6.53): I rise this evening to talk about St Vincent’s Primary School. The school is a Catholic co-educational primary school located in Aranda. It was formed in 1970 and currently has 189 students enrolled. Although it is a small school, it has a lot of spirit. This was certainly on display at the fete.
The fete is held every two years and is a major fundraiser for the school. However, St Vincent’s principal, Marg Koenen, told me it is about much more than raising money; rather, it is about creating community spirit and showing what a wonderful group of families attend St Vincent’s. In particular, she was most pleased by the multicultural aspect of the school that was on display at the fete, with a barbeque run by the Korean community from the local parish, a yiros stand run by some of the Greek parents and, for entertainment, a group of students, who were trained by one of the Indian parents at the school, performed a traditional Bollywood dance.
Planning for this year’s fete commenced 10 months ago and was coordinated by parents Justine Moloney and Sonia Bowditch, both former St Vincent’s students. Justine and Sonia say they have many fond memories of fetes from their youth at St Vincent’s and it was these memories that got them thinking about putting their efforts into fete day.
One way the St Vincent’s fete committee put the fun back into the fete was through initiatives such as “Rock on, Santa!”—a rock painting competition where students painted a Christmas scene on a common garden rock. So seriously did the fete committee take this competition that they secured the services of Dr Sarah Engledow, curator and historian at the National Portrait Gallery, to judge the competition. In her capacity as judge, Sarah announced she was looking for works that showed originality, creativity and, above all, a sense of joy.
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