Veterans' Health Week

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay) (15:32): I rise to talk about Veterans' Health Week, which was held from 22 to 30 September 2018. I was pleased to attend my local Salisbury RSL for their inaugural barbecue cook-off event on Sunday 23 September. Whilst the Salisbury RSL previously held events during Veterans' Health Week, this was the first event with a focus on healthy eating and nutrition. The event was very well attended and it was a great day for all involved.

This year, the Department of Veterans' Affairs partnered with ex-service organisations and community groups to help veterans and current serving Australian Defence Force members and their families to eat better and smarter. Nutrition was the theme of more than 140 events and activities held around Australia during Veterans' Health Week 2018. Good nutrition is essential for an individual's health at all ages, and eating well plays a key role in reducing the risk of developing a range of chronic health conditions.

Events across our country included the Sunshine Coast RSL's cooking masterclass with celebrity chef Matt Golinski, the Darwin RSL's triservice long table cook-off, the Vietnam Veterans' Association's Nutrition Expo in Melbourne, Western Australia's Armadale RSL's 'How to eat cheaper but better' cooking expo, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs Sydney office's 'Bike N Blend' pedal-powered healthy smoothie-making event. However, the headline act as far as I am concerned was our very own Salisbury RSL's event, described as the barbecue cook-off of the century, with three teams going head to head, cooking a healthy two-course meal on the barbecue for more than 60 RSL members and guests.

The Salisbury RSL club committee, with leadership from Lyne Leahey, applied for a DVA grant and were thrilled to receive around $500 towards hosting the barbecue cook-off event. The purpose of this event was to show veterans easy and nutritious meals that they can cook with nothing but a barbecue. Three teams competed in the event: the RAAF Association of Elizabeth and Salisbury, the Salisbury RSL club and a small group of Salisbury RSL members, who called themselves the Three Wise Men. Their task was to cook a healthy, tasty and simple two-course meal on a barbecue. The resulting dishes were exceptional and showed how versatile a barbecue can be.

There was more than a little speculation prior to the meals being brought out about the qualifications of the various chefs, but I can personally attest that all three teams did an amazing job. The RAAF presented barbecue chicken and mandarin salad with forest fruit crepes and a berry coulis. Team Salisbury RSL presented satay beef skewers with a roast vegetable marinade mix and glazed fruit pikelets. Last, but not least, the Three Wise Men presented honey garlic Dijon mustard pork medallions and spiced glazed pineapple with mascarpone.

I had the honour of being one of the judges of these dishes, along with the Salisbury mayor, Gillian Aldridge OAM, and veterans' health coordinator from DVA, Mr Neil Davies. Points were awarded for flavour, presentation and nutrition, and those attending got to mix and match their mains and dessert. They got to pick what they liked. I have to tell you that it was very difficult to judge and that it was a very close call. The Three Wise Men did try to corrupt me by buying me a butcher of lemonade, but I was not swayed by that. I took it merely as a wonderful part of their hosting. In the end, it was the Three Wise Men who won due to the popularity of their pork medallions.

A big shout out to Salisbury president, Don Prider, and his teammates, Dale Woodhart and David Brown. With assistance from the DVA, all attendees were given a show bag, which included resources relating to veterans' health, free gifts, such as a tape measure and a heat pack, as well as recipe cards for all the dishes of the day. It did take a lot of coordination and planning for this event, and I would like to thank Lyne Leahey for the extensive work behind the scenes and congratulate her on running everything like clockwork on the day, as well as secretary, Kris Willis, and president, Don Prider, and all the volunteers. Well done. I look forward to the 2019 Veterans' Health Week.