Light Electorate

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:29): I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate some organisations in my electorate on their fundraising efforts. There are a number of others I could talk about but, for the interest of members, I would like to highlight two events that took place recently. One is the Gawler Relay For Life team, who fundraise for cancer research. This group celebrated its 10^th relay this year. They have done a magnificent job in terms of raising funds. This year alone, they raised $90,079.32. In the 10 years they have been running the relay, they have raised a staggering $731,152.32. This is all done by the work of volunteers, and the people who do the relay are also volunteers. They group together for 24 hours of relays in the Gawler town.

One has to ask: why such a wonderful achievement? The organisers say, 'To see so many people come together for a cause so close to all our hearts,' that is what this is all about. They go on:

We may have been strangers to each other yesterday but today after being involved with Relay we now are friends fighting for the same thing.

There are so many people behind the scenes who do so much for Relay, it seems thank you is not enough.

I would like to congratulate the Gawler relay team on doing such an outstanding job in raising funds to help deal with cancer in our society and community.

The other event I attended on the weekend was a fundraiser, put on by Carol Davis and Suzanne Young, called Carol and Suzanne's Fundraiser. They partnered with Parkinson's SA and the Gawler MS Support Group to put on the fundraiser. The purpose of the event was to spread the word about people who live with Parkinson's disease and also MS. It is also a chance for family members, friends and carers to socialise, learn and understand more about those chronic illnesses. It is also an opportunity to thank the carers of people who suffer from Parkinson's and MS.

The Gawler MS Support Group, which started in approximately 2012 and with whom I have a close working relationship, is otherwise referred to as the MSchievous Bunch. This group of women came together literally over afternoon tea, they then started to fundraise and now there is another group who are doing quite a bit of work in terms of fundraising. So far, they have raised about $30,000 for various projects. The sorts of fundraisers they undertake have been movie nights, barbecues, girls' nights in, car shows, morning teas, craft sales, etc. They are a hardworking team who raise funds.

One of the issues they are raising funds for deals with how hot weather impacts people with MS. They are trying to purchase 87 cooling vests, which are being funded and supplied to those in need. All the money raised goes to people with MS in South Australia and the Northern Territory. One of the next projects that the MSchievous Bunch is considering will be to help people newly diagnosed with MS. A diagnosis can be devastating. Many people do not want to talk about it or are even reluctant to know how to deal with it.

What they are going to do is put together a special bag with relevant information on support groups and contacts for people with MS who can be helpful for them to talk to. Another thing they are looking at is a small item, like a cooling scarf, for use on hot days and can provide quite a bit of comfort for people suffering from MS. These are examples of just two groups in our community who fundraise tirelessly for projects that benefit the whole community.

I would like to briefly mention that I went to an afternoon tea last week in honour of Levi Pesin. Levi is a young lad who lives in my electorate. Unfortunately, he is a paraplegic as a result of a car accident at age two, but that did not stop him from achieving. He is now age 10 and is at Flinders University studying mathematics—at age 10. He is certainly a genius when it comes to mathematics. He has been accepted by the university in the mathematical sciences course, and he now works with professors, doctors, etc., in mathematics. One professor said he is even challenging him in his understanding of mathematics. This young man has achieved enormous things with the support of his family.

I would also like to acknowledge Flinders University for helping him along. I would also like to thank the previous minister for helping with a scholarship so the young man can actually participate in education.

Time expired.