Northern Districts Athletics Club

Mrs PEARCE (King) (15:27): This weekend was one that included a few big birthday celebrations. It started off with a night of soaring excitement and high-flying thrills as we kicked off the Little Athletics season with a very special event, the Northern Districts Athletics Club season launch and their 50^th anniversary celebration. It was wonderful to help launch the season with the member for Ramsay, the member for Makin and elected members of the Salisbury council at the Bridgestone Athletics Centre. For those who have not been, I encourage you all to visit this incredible facility. It is one that has been designed to bring community and families and members together in such a wonderful space.

Fifty years of the Little Athletics club is quite the achievement, both on and off track and field as we all know, because a huge factor that supports a club reaching such an incredible milestone is the people behind the scenes getting the job done. Again, I would like to thank all who have served on the committee over the past five decades and all who have volunteered their time and energy to support some of the younger members of our community through athletics.

This club is truly remarkable. It is an inclusive club that is focused on ensuring that they are an active contributor to the greater community in the north as well, which is clearly evident during the events that they host such as the Salisbury.RUN in Carisbrooke Park. It is something I enjoy going to each year. I am quite happy with where I am timing at the moment on 5 ks, although the member for Wright certainly outdoes me quite significantly. He was able to achieve half a marathon, and I again congratulated him on such a big feat. It is an opportunity for the community to come together to run no matter the age, the skill or the level that you are at, and it does a wonderful job of bringing local business, local council and other clubs together to truly make this a special event.

Through their work, this club helps our young people to get the absolute best out of sport, and that is not only in a physical sense. It is also in regard to their mental health and wellbeing, the connections that they form in local communities and also those all-important skills that they are developing through playing sport that serve them well into their adult years. Learning how to win, how to lose, how to communicate, how to work as a team, how to problem solve, how to form friendships are all just some examples of the important skills that they are developing through their time at Little Athletics.

I would also like to provide a huge shout-out to Jasmine and her mum for also making such an incredible cake to help celebrate the occasion. It was certainly warmly welcomed after such an incredible running warm-up with the little ones once the ribbon was cut to kick off the season.

That was not the only 50^th celebration that we celebrated over the weekend. It was also a weekend to celebrate 50 years of the Northeast Zodiac Netball Club. I must say they hosted a most spectacular evening. Huge accolades go to the amazing community members, particularly Narelle, Renee, Darcy, Nicole and Laura for all the efforts they put in tirelessly throughout the year to make the event as special as possible.

They had all the different uniforms on display from each of the generations that have come through. They have collected photos of the years to celebrate all the different players' milestones and events over that time, as well as putting on entertainment that was appropriate for all ages, from the very little juniors all the way through to our seniors, mums and training teams as well. It was really special to be able to attend this event with my daughter, Nylah. I appreciate having the opportunity to share such a special piece of the club's history with her.

I would also like to thank the Tea Tree Gully Golf Club, Entertainment Adelaide and DJ Wes Parker, Justin Smale at Supreme Photo Booths, Ally at Wyldling Small Batch, and Brenton and Francina Brand Sports Designs for helping to make the night absolutely come alive, and of course, also A Class Sports & Trophies for the season's trophies, medals and awards. They did a beautiful job of theming all of these to the legendary black and green that is the Northeast Zodiacs.

It is no surprise that the Zodiacs have a special place in my heart. They are a club that has always made me feel welcome. They are a club focused on each and every player and member within the club and are passionate about supporting our young people to learn, develop and thrive in life through learning the skills they are developing in netball. On behalf of our community, thank you for all that you have done over the past 50 years. I am looking forward to many, many years of success for the club.