Trinity South Coast

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:49): In my matter of interest I want to put on the public record my appreciation and my hope for much success into the future when it comes to a new church that started in my area on Easter Sunday this year, which I had the opportunity of being invited and attending—that was Trinity South Coast.

It is actually a good opportunity to offer different chances for people to attend and share time together when it comes to church on a Sunday because it is not in your traditional church environment but actually at the Investigator College. I regularly now see right across the state, and particularly in the metropolitan area, quite a lot of public schools and private schools that are making their facilities available for church services and youth development services and opportunities. Of course, down on the Fleurieu Peninsula, we have a very diverse community, and we also have a lot of younger people who sometimes are looking to be involved in a different type of church to the traditional denominations that we have been used to.

The Trinity South Coast is a new church on the south coast. As I said, it meets at the Investigator College in the performing arts and sports centre on the college's Victor Harbor campus. The Investigator College needs to be congratulated on the great work it is doing down in Victor Harbor and right through the Fleurieu Peninsula when it comes to educating our young people. It is doing very well with its numbers because of the quality, all-round education that it is providing. That college has warmly welcomed the Trinity South Coast Church, which is a non-denominational church, but it is part of a wider network of churches, namely the Trinity Network of churches.

The church originally started through a small group of people attending Bible study, meeting in the Middleton Pioneer Hall at Middleton. From that, it was clear to those attending and the leaders of the group that formed that a new church for the south coast would provide an opportunity for more people to attend, worship and develop their Christian and community spirit.

Whilst they had tried out the Investigator College a couple of weekends before, on Easter Sunday, they had the public launch. It was a very well-attended service. I was particularly impressed by the leadership group, and a diverse group it is at that. It is also a very young group that is headed up by Senior Pastor Duncan Andrews, and his wife is also extremely supportive. I wish them every success because anywhere we can spread the word and give people the opportunity to come together and build a strong community spirit, I would suggest, the better it is for the South Australian community.

Whilst on that, I want to congratulate Mr Bruce Hicks. He has been a candidate of our party on numerous occasions and a tireless worker. He is also the principal of a Christian school at Murray Bridge. He is a fellow Anglican with myself and has been a leader in our own Anglican church in our hometown at Mount Compass.

He is actually about to be ordained in the Diocese of The Murray with, I think, four other locals. Some of them are farmers, he is a principal of a school and others are from different diverse backgrounds, but that augurs well for the support work that is needed in our diocese. Given that Mr Hicks has had an incredible career both as an educator and as a genuinely committed community person, I am pleased and proud and wish him every success on his ordination in July.