Callington Show Pavilion

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:13): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister tell the chamber about the opening of the Callington Show pavilion?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:13): I thank the honourable member for his question. It was an absolute pleasure to be in Callington on a sunny Sunday late last month to officially open the new Callington Show pavilion. It was a great celebration of a project that was several years in the making, and it was also a great example of a tight-knit community working hard together, led by the Callington A&H Society, which identified a need and then worked hard to achieve an outcome that will serve them well for decades to come, with the delivery of the Callington Show pavilion.

Callington itself is somewhat unique in that half of it sits within the Rural City of Murray Bridge and the other half sits in the district council of Mount Barker. Fittingly, both mayors were present—Mount Barker Mayor David Leach and Murray Bridge Mayor Wayne Thorley were both on hand to celebrate this occasion, with both councils contributing funding towards the project. It will, of course, be of benefit to residents in each of their respective councils.

The Callington Show Society received a $50,000 grant from the Thriving Communities program, and it was really incredible to see how the funds have been used to make such a huge difference to this project as, indeed, that fund does for many communities and projects. But the reality is that, despite councils and governments providing funding, these projects don't get off the ground without significant support from local people, whether it be individual community members, businesses, sporting clubs, community groups, show societies, and many more. They are the ones who put their hands in their pockets, who do fundraising, who give countless hours of their own time and their own expertise, which leads to such positive outcomes.

A special mention must go to the Callington A&H Society, an incredible group of people who are very organised and very keen. I am so pleased that their vision is now a reality and that they will have an asset that will serve the Callington Show and the local community well for years to come. The pavilion is expected to be used by the community for gatherings, birthday parties and all sorts of other events outside the show itself. I believe it is also going to be used for trade shows and adds to the already great facilities at the Callington Recreation and Community Centre, which has seen some fantastic improvements in recent years, with the community working together in much the same way as it has for this project to deliver those improvements.

With the pavilion now open and show preparations well underway the stage is set for a fantastic Callington Show on 27 October this year. With free entry for children under 12, $5 entry for children over 13 and adult tickets just $15, I would certainly encourage anyone who wants a reasonably priced day out at one of our state's great country shows to head 45 minutes up the freeway and check out the pavilion and the many attractions for themselves.