Page 3733 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 18 September 2018
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Madam Deputy Speaker, what could she not do? When you think of a force of nature, you think of Helen. When you think of creative and classy, you think of Helen. When you think of smart and sassy, you think of Helen. And when you think of skilful and caring, you think of Helen. She embodied all of this, Madam Deputy Speaker. She was absolutely a class act.
The loss of Helen is the community’s to share but for none more than her gorgeous mother, Janet, and her incredibly strong young daughters, Eliza and Virginia, who she loved so deeply. While her loss is deep—and it hurts; it really bloody hurts—her extraordinary impact is what we will take with us and hold carefully within us. There is some comfort in that.
Florey Neighbourhood Watch
MRS KIKKERT (Ginninderra) (5.18): September is a good month to get stuck into some spring-cleaning, and 1 September this year was a beautiful time for my children and me to join Florey Neighbourhood Watch for an event that they named, appropriately, Clean Up Florey Day. The Florey branch of Neighbourhood Watch is a new one, only launched in March this year, but it has already grown to more than 90 members. It is organised and filled with enthusiasm, and it managed to pull off a fantastic day of service and fun for all who participated.
When we first arrived, my kids seemed less than enthused, but they quickly changed their minds as we registered, picked up our rubbish bags and gloves, and went to work in our assigned section of Florey. In the end, they admitted that they had fun. I want to thank Neighbourhood Watch for creating this opportunity for me to provide my family with another example of what it is to volunteer and to reinforce for them how important it is to engage in community service, taking pride in where we live.
I wish to thank area coordinator Sharon Leigh-Hazell and all who serve alongside her for successfully attracting so many volunteers to the event. Sharon had told me that it was her goal to attract a crowd, and she and her helpers certainly pulled this off. In addition to the satisfaction that comes from labouring side by side in meaningful community service, volunteers were treated to a raffle and a sausage sizzle.
It is my sincere hope that many other volunteer community organisations will follow the example set by Florey Neighbourhood Watch and draw local residents together to do good things in their suburbs. This is what a strong, vibrant community looks like.
Reclink Community Cup
Greyhound racing—Community Values
MR PARTON (Brindabella) (5.20): I rise to commend all those involved in the second Canberra Reclink Community Cup, which was played at Jamison Oval on Sunday afternoon. This is a fundraising AFL game for Reclink, which provides such amazing services at a number of our public housing complexes in the inner north. I have seen firsthand what Mark Ransome and the Reclink team do, and it just blows me away.
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