Page 1174 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 28 March 2017
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But back to the community and the annual clubs challenge. I must congratulate Jacob Patmore, an 18-year-old speed machine from the Gungahlin Eagles Rugby Club, who absolutely blitzed the final. He won it easily and picked up $750 for his club. I am salivating at the prospect of young Jacob working his way through the grades and then starting on the wing for the Brumbies, because, let me tell you, nobody will catch him.
This wonderful community event distributed $1,100 back to grassroots local sporting clubs. Those who participated made it very clear that they were very keen to return and participate next year.
The greyhound club is intending to run another club challenge later in the year, this time for the ladies. Those of us on this side of the chamber are all looking forward to that.
Many whom I spoke to mentioned their dismay at the continuing non-appearance of Mr Ramsay, Mr Barr and/or Mr Rattenbury at their beloved venue. If Mr Ramsay, Mr Barr or Mr Rattenbury wish to get directions to the greyhound track, my office is more than happy to provide them. Indeed, if they give me enough warning, I am happy to give them a lift out to the track. I am sure we would have plenty to talk about on the drive out to Symonston, and carpooling is wonderful for all of us.
If Mr Ramsay, Mr Barr or Mr Rattenbury had attended on Sunday night, they would have had the pleasure of meeting former greyhound trainer Ricky Small, who suffered major injuries in a work accident some years ago. Ricky was the recipient of a $30,000 community donation from the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club which enabled him to purchase a modified vehicle to drive himself around. Ricky and I had a long conversation about how much that donation has changed his life. He was absolutely gobsmacked that this Labor government is blindly pursuing this ill-founded, absurd decision to attempt to clumsily end this unblemished sport here in the ACT. Long live the greyhounds.
ACT Brumbies
MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (4.36): Canberra is under attack. Our beloved Brumbies have been talked about as the team to get the chop for a newly structured Super Rugby competition. The powers that be in SANZAAR and the ARU are in top-level, super-secret meetings about the future of our club. The latest whispers say that it is the Western Force that needs to worry, but the calls for the Brumbies to leave our capital have a long history.
I have a deep and abiding passion for the Brumbies club. Many of you would not know this; heck, none of you should know this. One of my very first jobs, as a high school student, was to work for the Brumbies. I was probably the luckiest kid in Canberra. Most of my peers spent their holidays in the kitchen of a fast food restaurant. Not me. I was selling Brumbies merchandise in shopping centres across Canberra, and when I was really lucky, I got to work at the Brumbies headquarters in Griffith amongst the hustle and bustle of the players. My deep appreciation comes from seeing these athletes taking on the world, many of them Wallabies, training on a local Canberra oval.
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