Rotary Clubs

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:19): I rise to talk about Rotary clubs in South Australia more broadly that have been established just shy of 100 years. They certainly have come a long way since their first gathering in Adelaide, with now 93 local clubs across district 9510—most of South Australia, Sunraysia, Alice Springs, Broken Hill and, of course, the Riverland.

In Chaffey—as I know and as all the people in the Riverland and Mallee know—volunteers are an important part of the fabric that makes up our regional communities. Rotary clubs in the Riverland are no exception, providing an invaluable service to our regional communities with many dedicated, passionate and proud volunteers contributing to our region. We have a proud and strong history of raising awareness of mental health issues, providing support and education to the local community.

They are a huge part of our local economy, but no dollar value can be put on their dedication and their contribution. In the Riverland, at Loxton the Rotary club president is Bert Haslam; in Waikerie, it is Robert Norman; in Renmark, it is Tom Copley; and in Berri it is Bruce Richardson OAM, who has been a proud Rotarian for many, many years.

Last Thursday, on 21 September, I attended the Waikerie Clifftop Walk opening. It was nothing short of an outstanding contribution of more than 30 years of tireless work by the Waikerie Rotary club, and I pay tribute to Graeme Thompson, Richard Hall and the team of Rotarians of Waikerie who have done outstanding work over a long period of time. The Clifftop is an outstanding walk that starts at the Waikerie ferry, passes the cliffs and silos and then goes along towards Holder Bend.

As well as the opening of the Clifftop Walk, on International Day of Peace the Rotary Club of Waikerie unveiled the first peace pole in the Riverland, with 150 guests attending. It was No. 68, and Rotary distributed 100 peace poles across South Australia in recognition of 100 years. Peace poles are a reminder of the importance of peace in our hearts, in our homes and in the community.

I say it is the best view in the country of a peace pole. The backdrop of that peace pole is the River Murray and, if we look south, we see two stunning former grain silos. One has been painted and decorated by local artist Gary Duncan with some of his signature artwork. We also see the outstanding artwork of a Regent parrot that is almost lifelike in a huge setting.

I had a photo opportunity with Murray. Murray is a steel sculpture sitting on a park bench. He is someone you can sit down and have a discussion with, have a conversation with. He does not talk much and he does not argue back, but you can say what you need to say. The name 'Murray' was brought about by public submission to a competition in the local community. It was an outstanding success.

Some of the other Chaffey Rotary events and projects in the Riverland include the Berri Rotary Club and the Riverland and Mallee Vocational Awards, which is the only one of its kind in regional Australia and also the largest vocational and training award, which is an outstanding achievement for the Riverland.

There are the Riverland and Mallee Citizen of the Year Awards, and every Riverland town is proud to announce their citizen of the year, their young citizen of the year and also the event of the year, and that is all underpinned by the Rotary organisation. The Pride of Workmanship Awards for individuals and small businesses is also an outstanding achievement. The End Polio Project has been ongoing for over 35 years, and the community volunteering, barbecues, working bees, op shops and fundraising are all there to raise money and to better the local communities in the Riverland.

Rotary opens up many opportunities and is vital to our regional communities. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those volunteers with Rotary for their service to our community. Their service to our community makes our community a better place to live.