Light Electorate

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:53): Today, I would like to talk about a few matters of interest to my community. On Friday, along with the Hon. Susan Close MP, the Minister for Ageing, the Mayor for the City of Playford and also the Hon. Kelly Vincent MLC, I attended the opening of the Adelaide North Special School. This $12.4 million facility is purpose-built for students living with disability and was formerly located at Elizabeth. The minister paid tribute to all those involved in the design and construction of the new school, which is located adjacent to Mark Oliphant College which is also a very new school in the area.

The school principal, Mr Byron Stutt, was extremely proud on that day. He said it was his privilege to be involved in working with a number of people to bring this project to fruition. In his view, we now have a specialist education facility in the north that can showcase to fellow educators the best in teaching for people living with a disability in Australia. The special school is more than a building: it is also made up of some very wonderful teachers who make teaching their students their life's work.

Visiting the school, as I have a number of occasions, you can see the pride that teachers have in their school community. It is also supported by parents and friends. It was a great day, attending the official opening of the school. I was also mindful of the philosophy of the school, which is to try to ensure that the child is developed using a whole range of programs.

Last week, I was also able to attend a special afternoon tea held at Trevu House in Gawler East. Trevu House is a nursing home. Afternoon tea was held to mark Dementia Awareness Month, which is in September. Obviously, Dementia Awareness Month seeks to raise awareness and support those living with dementia and also to help raise funds to find a cure for this disease. The campaign theme for this year was 'You are not alone,' and it is basically saying that people living with dementia are supported by the community.

One thing I would like to say about dementia is that it impacts not only those people living with dementia but also those people around them. It unfortunately robs those people with dementia of their ability to engage fully in the community; it also robs the family and friends of the person living with dementia of opportunities to discuss with them their life history, and what makes us human is our thoughts and memories.

The other thing to keep in mind when we are thinking about people living with dementia is the people whose job it is to care for them. We need to ensure that they are fully supported because only those carers who are fully supported can care for those in need. I would like to thank Trevu House for putting on that afternoon tea to highlight this important issue in our community.

There was another thing I was fortunate to do during the week. I was very proud and honoured to be invited to officially reopen the Wasleys Bowling Club clubrooms. The minister in front of me would know that the clubrooms were affected by the 25 November Pinery fires, as were other buildings in Wasleys. That committee has worked tirelessly to rebuild its facility. It is a magnificent facility and a credit to the committee, the architects and everybody involved. It shows the true grit of country communities, which pick themselves up off the ground when things get tough and rebuild, and they have certainly rebuilt this wonderful facility. The facility is not only for members of the club but it is also a beacon for the rebuilding of a community at large in that area.

As part of my research into the official opening, I acknowledge that the building was originally opened on the last Sunday of December 1935. It is well supported by volunteers, like most country communities. Again, I would like to congratulate the committee on the Wasleys Bowling Club.