Hurtle Vale Electorate Community Events

Ms COOK (Hurtle Vale) (15:18): Today, I rise to congratulate the organisers and participants of many wonderful festive events held in Hurtle Vale in the lead-up to Christmas last year. The Old Reynella Christmas Pageant was a wonderful family event. Held on Friday 13 December, it kicked off three nights of local festivities. The parade had its biggest turnout yet. My team and I love being a part of it and use it as an opportunity to continue raising awareness in our community about the risk of feeding wild ducks bread, a good environmental program that we run in Hurtle Vale.

The parade ending nicely coincided with the Reynella Neighbourhood Centre Twilight Christmas Carols event, which I attended along with our federal member, Amanda Rishworth, and the member for Kaurna. Many locals then headed up to the Edge Church for a night of more carols and family activities.

Saturday night, 14 December, saw the annual Carols in the Park, hosted by our local Neighbourhood Watch at the Mount Hurtle Reserve, Woodcroft. It was another successful family night out, with dozens of popular carols led by the fabulous Onkaparinga Harmony Chorus, while being catered for by the Lions Club of Noarlunga and Morphett Vale, the Neighbourhood Watch volunteers and many other local providers.

A special mention goes to Renae Garner, who has recently taken on the role of organising the carols on behalf of the carols committee for the Neighbourhood Watch Area 414. Thanks for your hard work, Renae. You are making a great contribution to the community through the organisation and through the association of this event. I would like to acknowledge the value of your growing involvement.

Finishing off the festive weekend were the Southern Community Christmas Carols, a fabulous event held at my beloved South Adelaide Football Club. A huge shout-out goes to Maxine McPherson, a club legend in the Panther club, as well as the extraordinary volunteers and stallholders; Luke Wagner for his wonderful hosting, singing and organising skills; and dear to my heart, of course, the Sammy D Foundation team, who all come together each year to create a wonderful family event. The highlight of the night is some fantastic fireworks supported by the City of Onkaparinga.

We are lucky to have an abundance also of outstanding Christmas light displays in Hurtle Vale. They always bring a smile to the faces of both the children and the adults alike over summer nights in December. Some highlights I would like to mention include the impressive Christmas light displays on Emmerson Drive in Morphett Vale which include the Branson family, who use their display to raise money for the Cancer Council of South Australia—about $5,000, I believe. Some may also remember the very funny 'Ditto' lights, also on Emmerson Drive. It was just 'Ditto' in lights on the letterbox next door to a very over-the-top display.

Woodcroft always spectacularly delivers festive spirit, with several immaculate displays. There is Dorrien Avenue and Partalunga Circuit, where the highlight is always the home of the Bradwell family—Natalie and Peter—who do a wonderful job, including a snow machine and a grinch in the drain. Their sister and brother-in-law, Bev and John Bradwell, who live on Rothschild Street in Woodcroft, not to be outdone, do an amazing job entertaining the kids. They go a bit further with their Christmas lights which includes a castle-like false frontage on their home with displays in the windows.

There is Simone Crescent/Buttercup Grove in Morphett Vale where Steve and Deb have raised over $33,000 for the Flinders Foundation over the years. Of course, in Birchwood Green Estate in Happy Valley, nearly all of the houses participate in that. Thanks so much to the families who elevate the Christmas spirit in our area every year.

I would also like to use this opportunity to touch on the back-to-school transition that occurs at this time of the year. It is an intimidating, rough and often scary journey, not just for the kids but for us parents as well. It was heartwarming to see an abundance of inspiring and heartfelt messages written in chalk on the pavement of the school of Happy Valley Primary School that wished the best of luck for new arrivals at the school and also for kids returning after their holidays. The parents, the families, friends and staff members involved in this, on the day before school started, have truly made a difference to the kids heading off to school.

Some of the messages included 'Today is your day to shine', 'I believe in you', 'You are amazing' and 'Amazing things happen when you try'. There are many more positive messages and they can be found if you have a look at my Facebook page or the Happy Valley Primary School Facebook page. I am looking forward to a year of positive exchanges with the schools and furthering the growth of our young people through quality education being delivered by teachers, SSOs, family members, volunteers and other team members at schools in my electorate.

Lastly, I would like to conclude by thanking my new trainee, Tyler Marsh. She has helped me to compile the information for this, our very first speech together. I welcome her to my office. She is a truly valuable addition. Welcome to Team Hurtle Vale, Tyler Marsh—another local helping locals.