Newland Electorate

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (15:37): Today, I would like to acknowledge the mighty Modbury Hawks, one of Australia's oldest football clubs and one of the three best football clubs in the state, of course alongside the Tea Tree Gully Wolves and the Hope Valley Demons.

The Modbury Football Club, alongside the Gully Wolves, is one of the oldest football clubs in the country, first playing a game in 1862. It was played against the Adelaide Football Club, each side playing with 20 players and no umpires. The game ended after Adelaide kicked its second goal and the game was declared in their favour two goals to nil.

The two teams met again the following year on a strip of land near the Modbury pub, still a favourite local pub and sponsor of lots of our local sports groups. That strip of land is now known as Civic Park, which is very much now the heart of our community, home to Sfera's Park Suites, our library, our civic centre, the Pickled Duck restaurant and, of course, the Modbury pub.

To celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the club, in 1962 a special game was played between the Modbury Football Club and the South Adelaide Football Club. Again, they also celebrated with the South Adelaide Football Club in their 150^th year to commemorate two of the oldest clubs in our state. This year, we celebrate 160 years of the incredible Modbury Football Club and have done that in true Modbury style with two premierships.

I am incredibly proud of the history of this club and would like to acknowledge the few different spots they have played at before making Modbury Oval their official home. They started at the old oval, Civic Park, before moving onto Memorial Oval in the Gully. They then went back to a temporary oval, which has since become Waterworld (our local swimming centre) and now back to Modbury Oval right next door.

It was just a few weeks ago that I was gifted a photograph of the first bounce at Modbury Oval in the 1960s—a photo of the only member for Tea Tree Gully, the first Labor woman in the house, Molly Byrne, bouncing the ball at that game. I am incredibly proud to have that up at my office, and I am also proud to know Molly and to continually hear about her contribution to local clubs, societies and schools, including the Mighty Hawks.

It is only every couple of days that someone comes into the office and asks me whether Molly is still living on North-East Road and having meetings with constituents at her home. Many a time, I have driven past her house and mentioned to residents that, unfortunately, she is not there, and that, in her 90s, she is no longer seeing constituents in her front lounge room.

On 10 September this year, our Modbury Hawks, our C grade, played the Scotch Old Colls in the C3 grand final at Elizabeth, winning that grand final 57-46. I would like to acknowledge a few particular players from the C3s and also would acknowledge that, of course, in any grand final every member of the team plays a significant role. There was Joel Vaneveld, Scott Cleary and Jack Sutton, who ended up our C grade best and fairest.

I would also like to make a particular shout-out to the incredible Tim Davey. Along with the member for Wright and the member for King, I went to the Modbury Football Club presos a few weeks ago and was able to watch Tim get, I believe, his eighth best and fairest in a row. Tim also won the Division 3 Association medal and will once again get to drive a brand-new car for the year.

I will tell you the truth: most people do not quite believe me when I tell them that our local footy club, the Modbury Premiers, actually get to drive a car around for the whole year, but that is the honest truth. Modbury Hawks sponsors Mawson Lakes Volkswagen and Mazda and the incredible support of Peter Lempens, the general manager at that dealership, means that the A grade B and F winner gets a free car for a year. I would like to thank Peter Lempens and the Mawson Lakes dealership for their support.

I would also like to acknowledge Emily Page, the women's B and F, Elliott Murada, Blake McLounan—other best and fairest winners—and the Mighty Hawkettes, having won a grand final of their own last year and having another strong season this year. Our Hawkettes caught some media attention earlier in the year, having not one, not two but four mother-daughter duos playing for the club. Those four duos are still playing together at the club, and that is just who the Hawks are—a family.

I would like to also acknowledge the work of volunteers at the club, particularly John and Jodie, the best club man and woman—two volunteers giving their all for the Hawks. I love the club and could not be prouder to be helping them build their nest with a commitment to them at the election for a new build in the coming year.