Volunteers

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (15:17): I rise today to recognise a fantastic individual in my home electorate of Chaffey whose volunteering was officially recognised recently. Volunteers are an important part of the fabric of our regional community. Those who donate their time have a positive impact on the lives of many others in the community.

As we know, volunteering is a vital part of Chaffey, the way of life contributing greatly to our fantastic community spirit. Volunteering is part of the fabric of the good people of Chaffey. There is no doubt that the people of Cobdogla as well as the people of the Riverland have been blessed with a rich tennis history. We have a rich sporting culture in the electorate. The passion and commitment of those who have contributed to our great sporting past give our young aspiring athletes inspiration for the future.

The local sporting clubs and associations rely heavily on the hard work of volunteers. Without volunteers, these clubs would not exist. The award recognises volunteers who often go unrewarded for the many hours of work that they contribute to tennis. This award honours volunteers within tennis—those people who foster relationships within and between their clubs and the community—for the contribution they make to the sport.

John Pick, a great Riverlander from Renmark, was officially recognised last week as he was awarded the Volunteer Achievement Award at the Australian Tennis Awards. Over 25 years, Mr Pick has devoted his time to a variety of roles within the Riverland Lawn Tennis Association and of course the Renmark Tintra Lawn Tennis Club, making him a very deserving winner of the Volunteer Achievement Award. He was also my children's tennis coach and did an outstanding job. He is a role model. Many years on, my children to this day still reflect on the advice he gave them but also the respect he gave them and, in reward, they gave him.

Currently the President of the Riverland Lawn Tennis Association, John Pick was one of three finalists in the category at a ceremony in Melbourne. He was awarded the win after putting his own teaching career on hold and volunteering countless hours to ensure the survival and prosperity of tennis in the Riverland.

As John said, 'I don't think the volunteers know how many hours they put in, but their families certainly do.' It is a testament to the sacrifices made by volunteers in terms of their careers and family time. John was awarded alongside the likes of Darren Cahill, former coach of world number ones Simona Halep, Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi, as well as Ash Barty and Alex de Minaur, who were announced as recipients of the Newcombe Medal.

Another Chaffey finalist on the night was the Cobdogla Primary School, which was amongst three other schools from around the nation nominated for the Most Outstanding School Award. Remember that the name Cobdogla is also associated with the great name, Luke Saville, from a great tennis family in the Riverland. Luke was a junior Wimbledon champion, and Shane Nettle was a state champion and is now coaching and mentoring the strong Cobby tennis club.

This award recognises schools that have aligned with a Tennis Australia qualified coach, have a dedicated staff member assigned to tennis, have strong links with the local club and coach and have incorporated tennis as part of the curriculum. It is a fantastic effort for Cobdogla Primary School, with just over 100 students, to be nominated in the top three in Australia. Once again, I say thank you to all the volunteers in the Riverland, and keep up the good work. I commend you for your dedication to providing children with positive role models within their sporting clubs.

As I have said, volunteers in any regional town are the fabric of that community in the outstanding work they do. It is invaluable. There is no dollar value that can be put on the contribution of our volunteers, particularly in our regional communities. The electorate of Chaffey is blessed by dedicated volunteers. It is also blessed by the commitment of those volunteers who continue upgrading, mentoring and coaching our students, making sure that the Riverland has some of the state's best sportspeople, achieving some of the state's best sporting results. I am very proud of our volunteers. I am very proud of all the junior sporting programs and I am proud of the sporting organisations in Chaffey because hashtag #ChaffeyMatters.

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