Grievance Debate

Morialta Citizenship Awards

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:26): I rise to inform the house about winners of the 2014 Morialta Citizenship Awards. I am very pleased that every year almost all the local schools in Morialta participate in the Morialta Citizenship Awards, and awardees receive a certificate recognising their contribution to their local communities as well as support through a book voucher or cheque, or whatever the local school decides, to the value of $100. The schools decide these awardees on the basis of their contribution to the local community and the school community over and above that which is appreciated through sporting or academic awards or other sorts of awards that take place at schools. This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to pay tribute to their peers who go above and beyond and make those contributions. They should be role models to their peers, and they are.

I will identify the winners and, hopefully, will have time to talk about some of their achievements. At Athelstone School Aimee Pope, a year 7 student, was the winner in 2014, and at Basket Range Primary School the winner in 2014 was Zara Baker. At Charles Campbell College the senior award winner was Claire Coleman, who has had a very special 12 months. She was also the senior award winner at Charles Campbell College last year as a year 11, and this year she was awarded the Campbelltown City Council's Young Citizen of the Year Award. A very fine young women, of whom we expect great things. I hope to see her in this place one day (although not in my seat; that one is taken).

The Charles Campbell College Middle School award was awarded to Abigail Guez, and at Charles Campbell Junior School it was awarded to Gul Zehra. The Norwood Morialta High School year 12 recipient was Caitlin Payne, not the first time Caitlin has received community achievement awards, and at the Norwood Morialta Middle School the winner was Lana Morro.

At Paradise Primary School congratulations go to Darcy Strudwick, and at Rostrevor College it is Henry Sims. At St Francis of Assisi School it is Jordan Ciccozzi and at St Ignatius College it was brother and sister Josh and Cassie Winkler. Stradbroke School has split the prize and awarded it to three students: Lauren Docking, Eden Menashe and Hayleigh Cameron. At Sunrise Christian School, Paradise campus, it was awarded to Charlotte Christie, and Thorndon Park Primary School split it between Tayla Soja and Bianca Calipari.

I particularly want to outline some of these students' achievements, starting with the seniors. Claire Coleman at Charles Campbell College was school captain in 2014. Her involvement with the school community involved meeting regularly with staff to discuss issues impacting the student body, and she also represented the school on the Youth Advisory Committee of the Campbelltown council, a committee which she led with panache over the past year. She has worked on the Student Voice at Charles Campbell College, and all the while continued to maintain exceptional grades. She is a dedicated, reliable and conscientious student.

Caitlin Payne in year 12 at Norwood Morialta High School is an outstanding contributor to the Norwood Morialta High School senior campus and was an active member of the SRC and the social justice committee for two years. She was a mentor to other students and a valuable leader of the SRC subcommittee, and she was elected as treasurer. In 2014, she represented the SRC on the uniform committee, and she also did the 40 Hour Famine, raising lots of money for people in poverty. She was in school sport, the musical, and, again, reached high academic achievement, all the while achieving so many other things.

Another year 12 Rostrevor College student is Henry Sims, a very empathetic young man who was identified as being able to walk in the shoes of others through his involvement with the college social justice group and his participation in the Kokoda trek through the highlands of Papua New Guinea. He is passionate about helping others, making a difference in the day-to-day life of the college and the wider community.

The other senior school in Morialta is St Ignatius College, and they identified two year 7 students, Josh and Cassie Winkler, who are junior directors of the charity Building Better Futures. They raised money for villages in Cambodia and organised the Unplug fundraiser in which they involved students from the school. In school holidays, and as part of term 4, they visited Siem Reap to work at local schools in a volunteer capacity.

I have not had time to identify all the primary school winners, but I will do so individually if I have the opportunity later. I congratulate all recipients. They are a role model to their peers, and it is fantastic for young people, particularly at school age, to be thinking about the importance and values of good citizenship. We know that service is its own reward. Those who give over and above receive through their own satisfaction of doing so. In young people, instilling those values at an early age is significantly important, and I congratulate all those winners who already have that message.