South Australian Sport Hall of Fame

Ms LUETHEN (King) (15:24): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Can the minister update the house about the recent inductees into the South Australian Sport Hall of Fame?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:24): I thank the member very much for that question, knowing she's a sporting star in her own right. It was a great night. I will declare that I did receive hospitality, just in case the member for Reynell is interested. I know that she's very interested whenever we go somewhere and there is a lunch or a dinner. This was a great night. I was very proud to be there representing the Premier as a number of South Australian superstars were inducted into the sporting hall of fame. One of them, a beloved person—

Ms HILDYARD: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Minister, there's a point of order.

Ms HILDYARD: Point of order: repetition. We had exactly the same—

An honourable member: What number?

Ms HILDYARD: 128. We had—

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order on the point of order.

Ms HILDYARD: Can I finish my point of order?

Members interjecting:

Ms HILDYARD: Can I finish my point of order? Can I finish?

The SPEAKER: Member for Reynell, please be seated.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my right, be quiet! Member for Reynell, I have your point of order. Minister, point of order on the point of order.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: There's two points of order, sir. Firstly, the member for Reynell continued interjecting for 30 seconds after your ruling and, secondly, it is remarkable that the shadow minister for sport doesn't know the difference between two separate events.

The SPEAKER: That is a bogus point of order. Minister.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thank you, Mr Speaker; I do appreciate that. And I will clarify: they were two different events, so the shadow minister has got it extremely wrong. What we are recognising here is some of our Sport Hall of Fame inductees. Anna Meares was the first one. Even the former premier, as he departs, would concede that Anna Meares is one of the great South Australian athletes. We do claim her, of course, since moving here. She is definitely one of our own, and what a superstar she is. She has two Olympic gold medals. She is an 11-time world champion and the first Australian athlete to win individual medals at four consecutive Olympic Games. Think about that for a second, Mr Speaker.

As great as she was on the track, we know and remember the nasty cycling accident she had, the very severe cycling accident she had. To be frank and honest, she was lucky to survive, and she actually made it back onto the track and back to the Olympic Games, which is absolutely phenomenal. Not only that, but if you are lucky enough to have ever met Anna Meares or spend a couple of seconds with her or just talk to her, you would know she's just genuinely an outstanding person, too. I commend her for being recognised.

The other person to be inducted was Grant Schubert, a Riverland hockey player and a superstar of the world hockey scene. Of course, he was the World Hockey Young Player of the Year in 2003. He also played a key role in the Australian men's hockey team in delivering the nation's first Olympic gold in competition at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, so an outstanding achievement. A wonderful story was told on the night. In Loxton, where he is from, there is Grant Schubert Drive. Apparently, it was named in his honour—quite obviously. The sign went up, but it didn't last a couple of weeks before it came down. His mum got very, very snaky, but some people suggest it's sitting in his very own pool room. If you are ever up in Loxton, go and have a look at Grant Schubert Drive.

John (Jack) Cahill was inducted into the sporting hall of fame. He was a Port Adelaide legend and superstar. He coached at Collingwood as well, but as a player and coach, there are not too many better than Jack Cahill. He had countless premierships and is an absolute legend of South Australian sport.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: There is heckling from the other side, but we do need to recognise these people because they do great things in our sporting world. One thing I will say about John Cahill is that I remember him as a kid—and these things are very impactful—giving me a couple of minutes of his time. He was so genuinely interested, or so I thought, as he made me feel that way, which I think is the secret of these wonderful sporting people. He gave me some time, and it sat with me until now. I am 47 years of age, so he must have done that when I was about 10. I thank him for it because he made me feel six feet tall and bulletproof. That's the sort of guy he was. He would spend time giving time back to people. He is a lovely gentleman. His sporting feats are phenomenal.

Wendy Schaeffer, an equestrian rider and Olympic gold medallist, a great supporter of our 3 Day Event in South Australia, is another phenomenal athlete deserving of being in our SA Sport Hall of Fame. Anthony Clarke, a name not many people know, a Paralympian, is a wonderful athlete and a gold medallist as well. He competed at a number of Paralympic games.

He told a fantastic story—he is such a wonderful character—that, when he won his gold medal, he beat a Chinese giant in taekwondo. I think that is his sport; it's a martial arts sport. He beat this Chinese giant and he felt really bad for the Chinese follow because the Chinese fellow would have received $100,000, or the equivalent, from the Chinese government had he won, but he beat him. He thought the Chinese guy wouldn't talk to him ever again or that they wouldn't be friends anymore. The Chinese guy beat him the next time and invited him straight up to his room to have a drink, and they had a great friendship. Johnny Letts, the famous jockey and two-time Melbourne Cup winner, was recognised as well. He is a great fellow and a guy who gives back and still looks after the academy these days.

I am running out of time, but I must mention the SA women's lacrosse team—an outstanding team. They won 11 straight national titles between 1985 and 1995. Jenny Williams served as captain, co-captain and captain coach in 10 of the 11 nationals. She was a mainstay of the team, alongside Cathy Flett, who played in all the titles—

The SPEAKER: Thank you, minister.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —and was the captain in 1993.

Mr Picton interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I can't believe I'm getting wrapped up by the member for Kaurna not wanting to hear about women's sport.

The SPEAKER: Time—

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: These ladies were outstanding. They had a wonderful night. It was a great event and a pleasure to be there.

The SPEAKER: —has expired.