Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

All the members in this place would agree that young people need interests and activities in their lives. There are the normal sporting activities of football, cricket, hockey and netball, and Little Athletics, which is big in my electorate. And there is a lot of country football at this time of year and a lot of young people are involved in junior football. In my electorate the showing of poultry is coming back—not just chooks but ducks, geese, bantams, full breeds and a whole range of birds; full feather, soft feather and a lot other terms that I am not that familiar with. It is certainly receiving great support. I am patron of the local club which has just spent a considerable amount of money and done a lot of work locally to upgrade their shed, their showing area and their meeting rooms, which they share with the local fishing club. They have obtained good sponsors and they get large numbers to their shows, which is terrific. I have been encouraging them to engage young people, which they are doing and a lot of young people are now involved in showing birds.

The local fishing club is also very active in involving young people and families. It is a family oriented club. They have many members and are probably the largest of any fishing club in Australia. They teach kids the skills of fishing as well as how to look after the banks of rivers and how to look after their local area. One of the big events in the local area is the Tasmanian Trout Expo, which is held at the Cressy District High School, just up the road from Longford, and also at Brumbys Creek. Once a year they have a lot of activities for young people. There is a fashion parade where young people can show off outdoor clothing and get confidence from modelling. They can catch 'Trevor' or 'Tracey' in Brumbys Creek, the tagged fish worth $10,000 which have never been caught. These programs involve young people and it is great to see them being involved in a lot of different pursuits.