David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to take note of some significant milestones reached by a number of local community groups in my electorate. I am very proud to offer my congratulations to Castlereagh Public School for reaching its 150th anniversary. I was honoured to be invited to celebrate the occasion with the Castlereagh Public School community on 2 May at a special commemorative assembly. This was followed the next day with a luncheon and the Back to Castlereagh Fair. Among the attendees were five former students who attended the school in the 1930s and had returned for the anniversary.

Castlereagh Public School was originally opened in 1858, founded by Edgar Fuller. Over the next 150 years it moved to various premises in the area, and it was spread across Castlereagh upper and Castlereagh lower schools until 1975. In a country as young as ours, it is not often we have the opportunity to mark such a significant milestone as this. I think it speaks to the vibrancy of the Castlereagh community that the Castlereagh Public School has been a cornerstone of education for local children over the past 150 years and will continue to be, I am certain, well into the future. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge in this place the people who organised the anniversary celebrations—in particular, former principals Dianne Knight and Leon Lentfer; Melinda Clark and Kathy Willet, parents of former students; Mary Vella and the hardworking members of the P & C; former student Helen Dixon; and current staff Lesley Hillyard, Gillian Spray and relieving principal Dale McFadden.

Recently celebrating its 80th birthday was the Penrith branch of the Country Women’s Association. Meeting for the first time at the Penrith council chambers on 28 March 1928, the Penrith CWA has been a mainstay of our community over the past eight decades. With more than 30 members, including one life member, the Penrith CWA gives a helping hand where it is most needed. Members fundraise constantly, donating money and goods to the Nepean Hospital, local schools and local emergency services. I was very pleased to join the members for their 80th birthday at the Penrith Paceway earlier this year. I would like to place on the record my appreciation, and the appreciation of everyone in my electorate, for their continued support of our local community. The members, as the CWA anthem states, proudly stand in love to serve, and their service to the thousands of people in the Penrith area throughout their 80 years deserves the gratitude of the community, and I wish to thank them here in the nation’s parliament today. I would also like to thank in particular the current president, Mrs Bev Byrnes, the secretary, Mrs Margaret Pope, and the treasurer, Mrs Joyce Gardner, for their work in organising the 80th birthday celebrations and leading the CWA in Penrith into its 81st year.

Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of the Penrith Community Kitchen, which celebrated its 10th birthday earlier this year. Penrith Community Kitchen was established to provide hot meals to the disadvantaged in our community and is a service that has continued to grow to meet the unfortunately increasing demand for assistance. If ever you needed a sobering reminder that families are doing it tough, you need look no further than the fact that the Penrith Community Kitchen served 20,600 clients last year. The volunteers at the Penrith Community Kitchen have worked tirelessly, often without public recognition, over the past 10 years to lend a helping hand to those who most need it. I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the entire team of the kitchen for all their hard work and their dedication over the past 10 years. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Mrs Margaret Goodridge, who founded the kitchen in 1998, and the coordinator, Mrs Cathy Craig. They are ably assisted by a growing army of volunteers and donations from local Rotary and Lions clubs, as well as many local businesses and residents. I congratulate these three organisations for the milestones they have reached. They have made lasting contributions to my local community, for which I thank them, and I look forward to their continued involvement in our community into the future.