Light Electorate Community Events

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:57): Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Today I would like to speak about a couple of things in my electorate—two events which have been very successful in the community and one event which, unfortunately, has been cancelled and I will come to that in a moment.

Deputy Speaker, the first event I would like to talk about is the Inaugural Gawler Veteran, Vintage and Classic Vehicle Clubs Barossa run which was held a few weeks ago, and I was given the pleasure to flag the run off in the morning. The actual inaugural run started at the Gawler TAFE car park and ended at Greenock via Lyndoch, Tanunda and historic Seppeltsfield. I was told that it was very successful, incident free and that the participants had a great time.

I think that this new run is a great initiative for the Gawler-Barossa region and adds a lot of colour and diversity to the events calendar for the area. According to Geoff Boundy who organised the run, my understanding is that these cars are either built in 1930 or earlier; so, a little bit on the older side. Certainly they were very colourful and certainly these vehicles really do have some proud owners. It was also great to see that a lot of owners had gone to a lot of trouble and expense to ensure that their vehicles looked their best and reflected as close as possible their original appearance. The fact that some drivers and passengers dressed for the occasion just added to the glamour of the day.

Deputy Speaker, this event just highlights what community organisations can do for themselves and what they actually do by working together and bringing a lot of fun, which also adds to the vitality of our communities. The run stopped at Lyndoch, I understand, for morning tea and then arrived at the Greenock Recreation Park.

The other event that I would like to talk about is the event run by the Wasleys community group under the chairmanship of Lynette Marker and her very hard working team. On Saturday, they had their first family fun day. The weather was great and around 200 people attended the event—mums, dads and children. I am also advised that the youth bus was very popular. Wasleys Woolshed CFS, who were represented, also reported very positive comments and interest in the local CFS.

The Beatles cover band was well received. I know I am getting a little bit old, because the music was a bit loud; clearly, I am on the older side. I would also like to acknowledge that events like this happen only because a lot of people donate, including Golden North, who donated ice creams for the children who attended. Again, it is another community event, and in this case it brought together a community which had been devastated by the recent Pinery fires. These two events represent the communities at their best, doing what they can to help themselves.

The third event I would like to discuss is the traditional ANZAC Day march, which is held by the Gawler RSL in my town; it marches down Murray Street. Unfortunately, this march, which was to be held this Sunday, has been cancelled. What disappointed me is that there is an increasing level of regulation, bureaucracy and paperwork for community organisations to adhere to, and it is deflecting people from wanting to be involved in community work—volunteers. There is an increased amount of paperwork and, in this case, the issue of risk to people marching down the street.

My personal view is that this risk issue is slightly out of control in terms of the impact it is having on our communities. I think most community organisations, if properly given information, know how to manage that risk quite well. This event has unfortunately been cancelled. Two things: one is that we miss an opportunity to honour those people who have given their lives or served in some way, whether at home or abroad, in a war effort. Secondly, it also means that young people do not have an opportunity to engage with older people and learn about what the war meant.