Colton Electorate

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:22): Although it may not seem like it today, we are heading into summer, and that is when the community of Colton comes alive. I have the privilege of representing a beautiful part of the metropolitan coastline and western suburbs, and during the summer months it truly is a hive of activity.

I have been busy over the past month attending community events and meeting with local stakeholders ahead of what is peak season in our local area. Only last week, the first patrol for the Henley Surf Life Saving Club season took place, and I was lucky enough to have a quick chat with the patrol captains, who were all very excited about the season ahead. We have two fantastic surf lifesaving clubs, the West Beach and Henley surf lifesaving clubs, and they both do a tremendous job patrolling our beaches and keeping our community safe.

It is reassuring to know that our beaches are supervised by such committed and passionate members of our community. Patrol information and rosters for this season are available on the clubs' websites and, as always, when you see the flags up make sure you swim between them. It makes the job just a little bit easier for our lifesavers.

In keeping with the water theme, I also attended the season launches of both the Henley and Adelaide sailing clubs. Both clubs were very fortunate with the weather, although some said just a zephyr, more wind, would have been nice on the day. It was encouraging to see so many people out and about enjoying the launch. Sailing has gone from strength to strength and it really is a testament to both those clubs.

At the Adelaide Sailing Club launch I joined Commodore Peter Royle out on the water to officially launch the season and watch the sailpast, and it was a pleasure to be asked to take part in what is a very important and traditional event for the club. The Henley Sailing Club held their launch a week earlier, and I thank Commodore Damian Carey for getting me out on the water again and for giving me the opportunity to take a good look at the many members as they went past. Although there was not much wind at all that day, and it was certainly a challenging event for them to get out and get moving, it was enjoyable for all involved. I would like to again thank both clubs for inviting me along to this season's launches, and I look forward to attending next year.

Mr Speaker, I note your interest in cars, and in September this year West Beach acted as the starting line for the 38^th Bay to Birdwood. It is always a wonderful event, bringing people from all over the country to our community. The police estimated that over 60,000 people lined the streets to watch the cars travel from West Beach to Birdwood, which is a tremendous effort, especially given the cold conditions on the day. It was wonderful to see the community of West Beach buzzing with activity. I would like to say well done to all the entrants, and it was certainly a remarkable sight to see all the cars.

People who made the trip to West Beach may also have noticed the upgrade works on West Beach Road, which have now commenced. This is something I lobbied for during my election campaign, and I was pleased to see the federal government commit to the majority of funding. It is also nice to see the City of Charles Sturt and the City of West Torrens coming together to deliver the project. Local business, retail, sporting and recreational organisations have called for this upgrade for a long time, which will address dangerous traffic conditions caused by growing traffic volumes.

West Beach Road is designated as a local distributor that acts as a major thoroughfare between Adelaide Airport, Harbour Town and the western suburbs for over 5,000 vehicles every day. The previous two-lane undivided road lacked dedicated turning lanes into the sporting grounds and did not cater for the increasingly large number of boats and caravans on this significant tourist route. This upgrade will address all those problems and will greatly benefit our local community. As the project is currently underway, I do remind residents to be cautious when travelling through the area and to take note of any traffic alterations.

Another project that is currently underway and nearly completed is the upgrade of the Henley Beach jetty. This project has taken a little longer than we all expected due to the challenges of the weather, which unfortunately cannot be helped, but it looks like it will be completed by the end of October or early November, just in time for the summer season. As you can see, Mr Speaker, it has been a busy few months for many in the electorate, and it will only get busier as the weather continues to warm up.

I am certainly incredibly privileged to represent such a wonderful part of metropolitan Adelaide, and I look forward to getting out in the community to enjoy all the things the great western suburbs have to offer over this summer.