PORT DISTRICTS FOOTBALL CLUB

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (15:14): I would like to inform the house about a recent celebration at Port Districts Football Club for the senior presentations night. Port Districts is technically just outside of my electorate, but the member for Lee and I have got used to sharing a single community that runs across a boundary into two electorates.

Port Districts is a highly successful club. Its recent division two grand final loss to Portland in my electorate means that both are promoted to division one, which I am delighted about. They are not only able to play at that level, they also have the A, B and C grades. It was delightful while at the presentation night to watch the range of different players of different skill levels and different capacity to spend time training, and being part of that club and contributing.

I also noticed the encouragement of youth that was so evident at the club. They are a caring and family-like club, and are very much keen to see their future secured through the encouragement of young people. I went to their junior presentations a few weeks ago, and it is admirable that, as the young people get into the more senior grades, they are encouraged, celebrated, helped and trained, and it speaks well of the longevity of the club, long into the future.

I also found the inclusivity of the club very heart warming. It is a very diverse community in that area, yet everyone is welcome for what they bring and who they are, and the warmth in the room, and the celebration of difference, was very charming and endearing, and I had an excellent night. I commend the Port Districts Football Club to the house as one of the stalwart clubs in my community, and I have many. Although I have several football clubs in my area, I understand that nearly all of them are the result of amalgamations, so 15, 20, 30 years ago there must have been dozens of footy clubs around the peninsula and into the Port Adelaide area.

Before I close I want to correct something I said several weeks ago about Colin Adams, who is the patron of the Port Adelaide Sailing Club. I have the privilege of being a member of the Port Adelaide Sailing Club and very much enjoy spending time with them. We had the open day this weekend as well which was fantastic. I indicated to the house that I understood that he had been the principal of Largs primary many years ago and, in fact, he worked in the secondary area, primarily as a school inspector, and it was his wife who worked at Largs Bay primary. I like to be scrupulously accurate, and so I wanted to bring that to the attention of the house.

The SPEAKER: Splendid. The member for MacKillop.