History Month

Ms PRATT (Frome) (15:35): On behalf of the opposition, while there is an opportunity to acknowledge our nurses who are visiting today, as the shadow minister for regional health services I would like to extend my gesture to you: I clock four nurses within my own family, whether it is paediatric, CAFHS, ageing or rural. To all of you, as we recognise International Nurses Day and International Day of the Midwife, thank you for everything that our nurses do.

Moving on to a topic that is a bit closer to my electorate of Frome, I want to give a promo to History Month. It is something that I look forward to every year in the month of May. There is an opportunity before me to recognise the services of the outgoing chief executive officer, Greg Mackie OAM. He notes in his farewell foreword within the compendium within the book that with great regret he sees the final months looming before him with his retirement, if you like, in July.

I thought I would take an opportunity to recognise Greg's own penmanship, his own words, and to reflect on what History Month brings to South Australia and in particular to our regional communities. I am a broken record when it comes to sharing my view that every country town and country hall across South Australia gets to participate, often for free, in a festival like this. Greg noted that having previously served on the boards of several cultural organisations, and then for a number of years as Head of Arts SA and Deputy Chief Executive, Cultural Development, he absolutely understood what a challenge it would be, back in the day, 20 years ago, to take small-scale organisations dedicated to history and museums and then increase their relevance and impact. We know through History Month now that he has achieved that.

For 22 years, the History Trust has provided an annual platform for South Australia's historians and museums, for both professionals and enthusiasts. In 2004, the first ever History Week was presented by the History Trust, and it attracted 150 registered offerings. Fast forward to 2011, the year of South Australia's sesquicentenary, the program had grown to a month-long duration, with 500 events and 400 presenters, and the significant cultural collaboration continues to prove its relevance. It has certainly grown its overall audience engagement with every year of recovery since the pandemic. It is my privilege and honour to note and recognise Greg Mackie's own contribution and to farewell him in this current role and to thank him for his service to History Month.

Within the electorate of Frome, of course, what does it look like? As I said, every postcode, every peace hall and institute and history group has an opportunity to put itself forward into a festival that is very much for the regions where some festivals are not, often at low cost, which is also important. While I have already undertaken some activities with different groups, I want to put on the record what it looks like to be involved in History Month in my electorate.

The Tarlee history group is well served by Alison Tilley Carter who, at a memorial service just a couple of weeks ago honouring returned soldiers, has documented all of their stories for us to remember and cherish, and I thank her for the work that she has done there. The Mintaro Progress Association will celebrate the Festival of the Lamb organised by Simon Millcock and others, and Libby Brady has an activity underway in Mintaro.

I love going to the Balaklava ag museum. It comes alive with the stump-jump ploughs, and all of the machinery that I grew up with, but this year it will be focusing on the Caterpillar, and Grace Wade is responsible for that. Brinkworth Primary School has an activity that involves students, which is great, and Helen Weckert is to be commended for her work. We see our merino sheep stations—Bungaree, with Vicky and Mark Stewart, and Anlaby Station, with Andrew Morphett and Peter Hayward—always front and centre in these events.

The Clare Regional History Group is led by Gerald Lally and many locals who I bump into at the coffee shop, but they have a focus on our pioneers this year. The little township of Penwortham has John Horrocks Cottage, and both Meredith McInnis and Leonie Moore do outstanding work in maintaining that piece of history. I caught up with Andrea and Philip Brow in Dublin on the weekend, and there is no limit to the opportunities that we have. Whether it is Back to Burra marking 180 years, History Month is to be commended. Its theme is Decisions, and I think the challenge is: which one do I choose to go to?