Kersbrook Playground

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (15:28): I would like to reflect on an event that I was fortunate to attend a few weeks ago on 29 April, which was the official opening of the 1841 Maidstone Playground in Kersbrook. This is the playground located behind the Kersbrook Public Hall in the centre of town. It was an important local community project, entirely driven by the local community with some help from the Adelaide Hills Council and also some federal funding from the disaster recovery fund.

A teddy bears' picnic was organised to celebrate this opening. It really was a great event, bringing everyone together in the community. Many are still recovering from the Sampson Flat bushfire that devastated the town a number of years ago now, and so many of the community got together and got behind this project. In particular, the Kersbrook Public Hall committee drove it. Long-time stalwart and president, Joan Playford, was particularly key in driving this project.

Other local community groups, such as the Torrens Valley Lions Club, many local businesses and other local groups—even other local residents—got behind this important project. It is so great at times like these, when there appears to be a sense of fragmentation in so many parts of our community, to at least see the community really getting behind each other and helping to support this important project.

I would also like to congratulate Tea Tree Gully Gymsports on their participation in the national championships, to be held in Melbourne, starting on Monday next week. There are 26 participants, both male and female athletes, and they will start with the artistic gymnastics event early next week. A week or so later, they will be getting involved in trampoline and tumbling (I have never been capable of or even close to participating in any of those activities) and they have done themselves very proud and done a fantastic job.

I would really like to congratulate the athletes on making it to the national championships. I congratulate their coaches, their families and all their other supporters. Tea Tree Gully Gymsports is a fantastic local club, being the largest gymnastics club in South Australia and the second largest in the country. In fact, they also have the largest Kindergym in Australia. I would also like to congratulate the board chairperson, Steve Crompton, on his job, and the role of the rest of the board in keeping that fantastic club going.

I would also like to congratulate the Tea Tree Gully sub-branch of the RSL on their once again wonderful dawn service held on ANZAC Day. It is a great local club, led by Wayne Langford and also a number of other people who do a really good job there. The City of Tea Tree Gully always provides a great deal of support for that very well-organised event. I would like to acknowledge the council and Mayor Kevin Knight for the role they play in that service, as well as the Ridgehaven Scouts, who have a long-running involvement in this service, making the wreaths and camping out, usually in the rooms, and the Tea Tree Gully CFS that always provide such a fantastic barbecue on the morning. You can smell the bacon and sausages in the cold air first thing in the morning.