FLINDERS ELECTORATE

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (15:20): Today I would like to talk briefly about some of the accomplishments of constituents of mine who have excelled in their various fields and who have achieved public recognition for their efforts. First, I would like to talk about someone who has already been mentioned in the house here today, and that is Kieran Modra. Kieran is a Paralympian. He was born in Port Lincoln in South Australia, and he has been visually impaired since birth.

The minister quite rightly pointed out that, less than a year ago, Kieran was lying in a hospital bed with fractured vertebrae in his neck and lower back. He recovered from that in time to take up training and be in London for the Paralympics, where he managed to win a gold medal in the men's individual pursuit team. What is extraordinary about Kieran is that, of course, he has been competing in the Paralympics since 1988. He first competed in Seoul in athletics, and he was successful there.

He went on to take up cycling, and he has achieved gold and bronze medals right through Atlanta, Athens, Beijing and now London; so, my congratulations to him. He is an extraordinary athlete and deserves much recognition, having won in his career nine medals in total, five of which are gold. He also received an Australian Sports Medal in 2004, and he was named the Australian Male Paralympian of the Year. Congratulations to him. He has also been awarded an Order of Australia.

The second person I would like to talk about today is Australia's 2012 Farmer of the Year. The winner of that award is Peter Kuhlmann, who farms at Mudamuckla, which is about 35 kilometres east of Ceduna. My congratulations go to Peter because I do not think that he would deny—or anyone would deny—that it is a sometimes difficult environment in which to farm. Peter farms with rainfall of around 275 millimetres on highly alkaline soils where there are very limited crop options.

Peter has demonstrated that the life of the modern farmer is not just spent on the farm but also requires a real focus on running his business, and my congratulations go to him. He has been an early adopter of technology, and he is at the forefront of improving Australia's ability to feed the world. Once upon a time that sort of area was known as marginal country. I understand that it is now known as low rainfall country. It has its own challenges, but Peter and many of his peers are rising to the occasion. It is good to see someone from South Australia and from Eyre Peninsula recognised for their efforts.

Paul Trevor of Port Lincoln received the Outstanding Bravery Medal award a couple of weeks ago. He was at a party and he saw a lady, who was not known to him, engulfed by flames. He threw himself upon the lady, Mrs Bauer, and managed to extinguish the flames. His reaction was instinctive. He said that being in the presence of the other medallists and finalists was 'very humbling'. His act took him just a few minutes, but he was ultimately nominated by Mrs Bauer's husband. My congratulations go to Paul as well.

Finally, I would like to finish off with an old, dear friend of mine and our family, Mr Don McSweeny. He has also been awarded an Order of Australia, but very recently he was inducted into the South Australian National Football League's Hall of Fame. To put this into some sort of perspective—and Don will not mind me saying this—he is around the four score years. He is fit and well. He received the award on the same night as fellow inductees Ken 'KG' Cunningham, Garry McIntosh and Mark Ricciuto, which puts him in some very esteemed company. Don's record as a player, administrator and coach and his all round dedication to the great game of Australian rules is legendary on the Eyre Peninsula and now throughout South Australia. He began playing football for Cummins way back in 1945.

Mr van Holst Pellekaan interjecting:

Mr TRELOAR: I should declare an interest, the member for Stuart says, and I would proudly declare an interest in this particular grieve.

Mr van Holst Pellekaan: As his protégé.

Mr TRELOAR: Not quite, member for Stuart. He started playing way back in 1945 and had a very distinguished career as a player and as a coach. He is a life member of numerous leagues and associations. My congratulations go to him, his wife Eileen and daughters Raelene and Debbie, who were also present. I also know that he is able to recite The Man From Snowy River.

The SPEAKER: It is always a pleasure to see someone from Eyre Peninsula going places. Member for Mawson.