Page 1573 - Week 06 - Thursday, 2 July 2020
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point, however, has she ever let these personal losses stop her from living a full and rewarding life. An avid golfer, she continued to hit the courses until giving the game up in 2000 to help provide daily care for her great-grandchildren. Twenty years later, she remains fit and active, as well as a keen observer of this territory’s political scene.
Violet has been an avid reader throughout her lifetime. Her current interests tend towards murder mysteries and true crime. She is much loved and admired by her daughter and granddaughter, who are both Canberra residents, and she splits her time alternately living in both households.
I take this opportunity to publicly wish Violet a happy 100th birthday. I also wish to honour her for a long and wonderful life, characterised by determination, self-discipline, a passion for learning, devotion to family, the pursuit of excellence and a cheerful heart. She is an inspiration not only to her family but to me and to many others.
Kaleen Sports Club—closure
MR PARTON (Brindabella) (6.42): It is very rare that we give bouquets to the other side to help celebrate their achievements, but I think we should give credit where it is due. In the spirit of tripartisanship I want to congratulate Mr Barr and Mr Rattenbury for something they have both been working on passionately for some time. Both Mr Barr and Mr Rattenbury have been trying to destroy your local club, and if you live in Kaleen I can report that they have succeeded. So, good job guys. You were hell-bent on putting clubs out of business and you have succeeded.
Thanks to the club-strangling policies that have been put in place, thanks to the absurd scenario whereby this is the only jurisdiction other than Victoria where gaming is now not permitted and thanks to the elitist wowserism we have seen from virtuous members on the other side of the chamber, Kaleen no longer has a licensed club. When I lived in Kaleen, which was only a decade ago, there were two community clubs at the Kaleen group centre and now there are none.
The announcement has been made today that the Kaleen Sports Club will not be reopening. I think it is devastating. It is devastating for community. It is devastating for all of the community groups that receive benefit from the Kaleen Sports Club. It is devastating for staff. It will have a heavy impact on the other co-tenants of that building in Kaleen—namely Snap Fitness and the indoor sports venue.
I have a lot of fond memories of the Kaleen Sports Club. In another life, I used to host the trivia at the club. We had a ball in there. I also participated in a number of sporting pursuits downstairs.
The Eastlake Group have signalled that this closure is simply because the mathematics do not work out. I have been saying it in this chamber and out in the community for weeks. Here is the thing—if you have never run a business, sometimes it is difficult to understand the basic maths of this. For any going business concern, there is only so long you can lose money before it becomes unviable to continue. The
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