Motions

National Footy Colours Day

Debate resumed.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN (Stuart) (12:33): I rise to also support this motion from the member for Chaffey. I think he made an excellent contribution, as did the member for Fisher. I listened closely and I found that to be a terrific contribution from a government member and I really do appreciate that.

The core of this motion is about acknowledging National Footy Colours Day. I would like to add my comments that throughout the electorate of Stuart—not every single town, and every single club, but largely throughout the electorate of Stuart—football clubs and netball clubs are very closely linked, and I know that netball clubs would have every willingness to participate in this sort of thing as well, and for such an important cause, that is, children living with and fighting cancer. My sister died of cancer at 16, so this is a topic that is very dear to my heart.

I would like to focus on the fact that the motion talks about children living with cancer. A lot of work, a lot of effort, massive contributions of thought, science and technology are going into finding cures, and of course that is very important, but putting some effort and resources into just supporting the ongoing lives of children actually living with cancer is also very important, and I appreciate that that is the cause of this motion.

When it comes to footy colours, I think about the many teams that play football throughout the electorate of Stuart. I will not be able to mention all of them, but certainly in Port Augusta we have three teams: the Souths Bulldogs, who are in red and white; the Centrals Bloods, in red and black; and the West Augusta Hawks, in purple and white. They fight it out with the Port Pirie teams every time, and I know that those three teams are extremely proud of their colours, as are many people throughout Port Augusta.

Moving on to the northern areas league, which is the district within which I live, at Wilmington, the first that comes to mind are the mighty BMW Lions, who wear traditional Lions colours. We also have the Orroroo Roos, wearing black and red; the Jamestown Peterborough Magpies, in black and white; and the Southern Flinders Tigers in black and gold, as you would expect. Into the north-eastern league other teams that come to mind are the BBH Rams, in red, white and blue; the BSR Tigers, in black and gold, as you would expect; and then for the south the Kapunda Bombers, in black and red; and the Eudunda-Robertstown Saints, who wear the St Kilda colours of red, black and white.

Just while I am on this, you will notice, Deputy Speaker, that most of these teams are combined teams, with many towns—two or typically three—coming together to form one football club and usually one netball club in a combined fashion, and that is a feature of what is happening all over country South Australia. It is interesting to notice that the mighty Kapunda Bombers a year or more ago celebrated their 150^th anniversary, which is an extraordinary achievement for any club.

I know that the other clubs, which are combined teams as well, would certainly all unite behind this motion from the member for Chaffey. I am sorry that it is not possible to mention all the footy teams and all their club colours in the electorate of Stuart, but I know that all of them, the ones I have mentioned and the ones I have not been able to mention, would support this activity, would all support the member for Chaffey's motion and would all want to do everything they possibly could, particularly in their local communities, to support children living with and fighting cancer.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (12:37): I rise to support the member for Chaffey's motion:

That this house—

(a) acknowledges that 2 September is National Footy Colours Day;

(b) encourages everyone to wear their favourite football team's colours to help raise money for children living with cancer;

(c) assist in making a difference to the lives of children fighting cancer by donating to Fight Cancer Foundation; and

(d) notes the fantastic work done by our sporting community in South Australia to raise funds and awareness of cancer.

Obviously 2 September is very close to the move-in date for the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, and there may be some synergies that could be done there. Regarding Footy Colours Day, since 2005 Fight Cancer Foundation and the Footy Colours Day have helped young learners continue with their education while they receive treatment for cancer. Each year, hundreds of thousands of Australians stand shoulder to shoulder to unite in the fight against cancer by wearing their team's colours with pride throughout September at their school, workplace or club.

Show your true colours and make a difference in the lives of kids and young people living with cancer by registering your Footy Colours Day activity. You can find fundraising tips and ideas about how to make your event bigger than the grand final, and of course there is a website that people can go to and look at that. The Fight Cancer Foundation's education support programs were developed in 2005 in partnership with the Royal Children's Hospital Education Institute in Melbourne to address the gap in educational support for kids and young people living with cancer.

Today, the programs operate in major paediatric hospitals in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, with plans to extend to other hospitals to ensure no child or young person living with cancer is educationally disadvantaged by their illness.

Fight Cancer Foundation is a national charity dedicated to providing care, treatment and support for cancer patients and their families, and funding vital research into cancer treatment and cures. Founded in 1989, as the Bone Marrow Donor Institute, to establish Australia's first bone marrow donor registry and find a cure for leukaemia, the organisation's broader scope now provides support services for patients with blood and other cancers. Support services include affordable accommodation for rural and interstate patients accessing major treating hospitals around New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.

The face of Footy Colours Day 2017 is Luca. Luca, now 10, was a typical six-year-old boy in 2013 when he began to complain of a sore knee. Following scans, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, an aggressive type of bone cancer. The only way to save his life was to amputate his right leg. During treatment and recovery, Luca was involved in Fight Cancer Foundation's education support program. The program helped him say connected with his school and at the same education level as his class mates. Luca loves footy, gives everything his all and does not see himself as having a disability. He really is a champion.

Recently, Collingwood Football Club star and Footy Colours Day ambassador, Adam Treloar, made a surprise visit to Luca's school footy team, and you can see those photos on the website. Adam held a special question and answer session with the school football team, which Luca is part of. Luca and Adam got along so well that Luca almost switched from his beloved Richmond Tigers to the Magpies. Of course, the Magpies are that type of team: you either love them or you hate them. I have a few friends who are passionate Magpies' supporters; I am not one of those, unfortunately.

I also want to talk about sporting clubs and their contribution to a range of fundraisers, and I want to single out a person in Mount Gambier by the name of Bill Burley. Bill Burley is a very talented sportsperson who runs the Mount Gambier Golf Club. On numerous occasions, he raises funds with charity nights for any local resident who is going through a tough time with cancer. In fact, about three or four months ago one was held for a family whose very young baby had been diagnosed with leukaemia. I believe the night raised $28,000 to $30,000 off the back of one community-minded person, Bill Burley, putting the event together, getting all the auction items and promoting it. It was truly a marvellous effort, and I think Bill needs to be congratulated.

Down in the South-East we have two leagues: the Western Border League and the South Gambier Demons, where I played. They quite often have fundraising events for people who are doing it tough in our community and who need to travel to metropolitan areas to receive treatment, particularly cancer treatment, which is something for which we need to keep striving. A great example is over in Warrnambool, where a program called Peter's Project was developed.

The community made a pledge to raise $5 million as a community if the federal government would put in $10 million and the state government put in $5 million for a cancer treatment and rehabilitation hospital. Peter was diagnosed with cancer and had to travel to Melbourne to receive that treatment. His widow and family made a conscious decision to raise $5 million knowing that, if they achieved that target, the state government would match that dollar for dollar and that the federal government would then match that dollar for dollar, so a $20 million build.

It is very pleasing to report that that centre was actually built about two years ago. It is amazing what can happen when a community is empowered, has an objective and is well led, as that team was by Peter's widow. I would like to see something very similar occur in the South-East. If there were a project like a cancer rehab centre matched with a federal and a state government commitment based on the ability of the community to fundraise that amount of money, then of course many people in the South-East would not need to travel to Adelaide—taking up the Patient Assistant Transport Scheme, which is three-fifths of very little in terms of rebates—and would be able to care for their loved ones in the surroundings that they are most accustomed to.

With those words, I commend the motion to the house. I congratulate the member for Chaffey on bringing this to the house. I would like to see its swift passage.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:46): I acknowledge all the speakers for their valuable contribution to what I consider a very important motion that not only acknowledges those suffering and experiencing cancer but is also about national Footy Colours Day to thank those who are supporting those who are experiencing cancer and the effects that it has on them. Of course, national Footy Colours Day is about communities, clubs, schools, businesses and individuals coming together to raise money to help those who are impacted. Without further ado, I commend this motion to the house.

Motion carried.