National Calisthenics Championships

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:14): Adelaide is actually abuzz at the moment with all things to do with calisthenics as the 28^th nationals, under the auspices of the Australian Calisthenics Federation, have commenced at the adjoining Festival Theatre. Here in Parliament House last night, it was my honour to host the welcome event for reps from the ACT, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and WA, along with the Australian Calisthenics Federation President, Liz Kratzel, and all her team.

South Australia's organising committee was in attendance, including Wayne Morris and Meredith Phillis, who are the conveners, Michelle Gaffney, Karen Darby, Kate Loveridge, Christine Nightingale, Michelle Reardon-Hood, Jayne Sellick and Shannon Mossop, Jennifer Feutrill, Danae McGregor, Fiona Belton and Jill Harrington. We also have Energy Images and Video Camera Service looking after the recording of the event. I must also mention Badge-a-minit, our good friends at Norwood, and Colleen, who I understand were involved in producing the merchandise for the event.

We did our best to warmly welcome everyone despite the really cold weather, as we are normally in Darwin at this time of year for the event. We looked at the 32º weather they are having up there and were quite envious. We were honoured that the Premier had time to call through to meet everybody, along with the members for Ashford, Elder, Fisher and Waite, and I know that there were apologies from many other members, as well as yourself, sir, who would have loved to have been there. I do thank the Premier for assisting CASA with funding, and also the Minister for Recreation and Sport for his contribution and also for being available to open this morning's session.

We have a great number of sponsors who have been involved: the diamond sponsors were CAL.S.A.C. and CASA Skills. We have a gold sponsor in Ridgehaven Calisthenic Club. Silver sponsors were Atlantic Tower Motor Inn, Braeview-Reynella Calisthenic Club, Burnside Academy, Cali Girl, myself, H&R Block, Home Loans & More, Jem Calisthenic College, Quest on Franklin, Seaton Calisthenic Club, Stafford Accounting, The Calisthenic Shop WA, The Stage Shop, and Vital Core Physiotherapy. These events cannot go on without this vital funding. The cost of hiring the Festival Theatre alone is enough to make sure that we have to work very hard, even after the competitions are finished.

This morning's session is underway with the calisthenic gracefuls, which are a marvellous part of the calisthenics program. Tonight, we will see the opening ceremony at 7pm, followed by a full three days of competition culminating in a gold medal honours presentation by Tara Douglas. We have many great adjudicators here with us, esteemed women in calisthenics, including Linley Campbell, Shirley Pettitt, Diane Winterling, Glenda Sellick and Karen Hicks.

The cali family really enjoys the opportunity to get together, and I note that calisthenics will be part of the Pan Pacific Masters on the Gold Coast in November of this year. Masters competitors can be as young as 26, with cali enthusiasts ranging from the ages of two to 90. My association with calisthenics began soon after my election in October 1997, when the first cheque I was ever able to present was to the Ridgehaven Calisthenics Club. The committee there, led by Trevor Holst, was very welcoming, and from that time on I began championing this great sport at every opportunity.

The Ridgehaven club was established in 1968 by Meredith Phillis, and is now under the guidance of Tracey Emes. There has been a great rivalry between Ridgehaven and Marden over many years, along with all the other clubs here in South Australia. I urge members to look up there local cali club because there are calisthenics clubs all over the city, and within the country regions as well.

CASA's office has always been supportive of me, people like Bev Daysh and now Carolyn Fortune. One of the first people ever to explain the intricacies of calisthenics was Esme Dobson (who knew every calisthenics girl in South Australia over four or five decades), who introduced calisthenics to me and Jane Lomax-Smith. At the time, we were both under her wing in our early days as patrons of this wonderful sport.

Cali girls develop great friendships and skills which can be easily transferred to many areas. Their confidence is highly developed, and everyone can tell a cali girl. Cali clubs can only run with the help of volunteers, and there are so many volunteers involved at every level of the club management, from the making of those fabulous costumes where modern-day fabrics have made life a lot easier, through to the finances and the organisation of teams as they travel around the countryside.

You will see in the program, if you are lucky enough to go over to the Festival Theatre and have a look at one of the sessions, all the wonderful young women who have travelled over here, mostly in the junior and senior areas this year. We do welcome from NSW the first junior and senior team I have seen together on a program, and we hope they do really well. South Australia is well represented by about 80 young women, as is WA, and the families and friends who have travelled from all over to support these young women are in for a really great weekend of calisthenics. I urge all members to pop over whenever they get the opportunity.