UNSUNG HEROES AWARDS

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (15:56): As a local member, it does not take long to discover the local heroes within your community. Unfortunately, they rarely bring themselves to your attention but they are certainly known by friends and neighbours for their generosity in dedicating time, skills and energy for the betterment of their community. They are quiet achievers, happy just to know the job they have set out to do is done well.

The Marion City Council recognised a need for acknowledging grassroots contributions in the community and established the Unsung Heroes Awards. The awards are a wonderful opportunity to recognise both community groups and individuals who make a contribution to enriching the City of Marion area. A record 29 individuals and groups were honoured at the ceremony this year. I was extremely proud to attend and share the stories of award recipients in my electorate of Mitchell.

A retired builder, Mr Vern Roberts, has been involved in the Trott Park Men's Shed since its conception nine years ago. Vern and his team have spent endless hours making equipment and toys. They have provided equipment to the Sheidow Park Primary School, made kennels for SA Dog Rescue and have recently built wooden steps for the Riding for the Disabled Group at O'Halloran Hill.

Mr Claude Rankin has served as the president of the Marion Historical Society for more than 20 years. He is now the treasurer of the group and is the longest serving committee member, with 28 years under his belt. In his earlier years, as well as working full time, Claude represented the historical society on the Warriparinga and Marion heritage steering committees. He worked tirelessly to get a local history collection up and running at the Parkholme Library and he organised the first heritage walking tour in Marion. He still volunteers as a guide at the Festival Centre, organises a weekly community lunch at the Glandore Community Centre and volunteers as a public contact officer at the Sturt Police Station.

Another recipient was Mr Alan Burns, a passionate environmentalist and driving force behind the work of the Friends of Glenthorne Farm. Alan has been actively involved in the group for a number of years and has worked to promote it to the wider community, as well as regularly organising and attending working bees at the farm.

Tom and Myra McGinn are often described as 'salt of the earth'. Tom, now aged 90, spent many years in the Youth Ministry at Marion's Maranatha Christian Assembly where he and Myra were one of the main organisers of the Holiday Kids Clubs. Tom and Myra have been strong supporters of their Tilley Court community and, even in their 80s and 90s, they remain caring and reliable neighbours. David, Tracy, Michael, Emma and Kate Smith began to tie ribbons around the pigtails of the 'Little Marion' statues in Marion shortly after they were commissioned. The family's commitment to caring for the statues has also been noticed by The Guardian Messenger in November 2009 and by the Marion Historic Village Display Group.

The Smith family has inspired feelings of community pride and identity among local residents. Mr Peter Collyer is a founding member of Meals on Wheels, Warradale and has delivered more than 16,000 meals over 22 years. Peter has been a committee member for the duration of the 22 years and has served as the chairman for the last five years. Peter is a truly dedicated volunteer and an inspiration to our community.

The Active Volunteers for the Removal of Graffiti are a wonderful asset to the Marion area. They come in regularly to collect graffiti remover and paint and get to work on making our neighbourhood clean and tidy again. My congratulations to the volunteers for doing such a great job, in particular warm congratulations to my constituents, Jim Digance and Robert Holdsworth. Finally, I congratulate Veronica Boulton from the Marion City Band whose dedication and leadership has seen them win a number of awards at the National Band Championships in April 2012, amazing achievements that I have spoken of previously in this place. Congratulations to all award recipients and to the City of Marion for organising this worthwhile ceremony each year.