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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-11-18 Daily Xml
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MORIALTA ELECTORATE, COMMUNITY EVENTS

Ms SIMMONS (Morialta) (15:41): I rise today to talk about two community events that took place in my electorate last weekend. First, I want to congratulate the Rotary Club of Morialta on the 10th anniversary of its Disco Roll event. In 1999 a parent of a teenager with a disability (June) talked to her respite carer about how she wished that her son, Damien, could enjoy going to a disco with other children of a similar age without unfair judgment or alienation. His respite carer, Judy Cushway, and her husband, Alan, were and still are active members of the Morialta Rotary Club and decided to take on the challenge.

The event has been so popular that it has taken on a life of its own, with participants starting to phone about March to check that the Disco Roll will again take place in November. I must admit that my husband, Ken, and I had tremendous fun on the evening—most of it from watching the pure joy and excitement of the youngsters and their parents and carers. About 300 participants in all were at the event. For just a $3 entrance fee everyone gets a free soft drink and a sausage sizzle, and families bring their own snacks to share.

It was a great disco throughout the night, with a full dance floor of most competent dancers, especially when it came to Nutbush, which was particularly enjoyed. A clown walked around and entertained each table with card tricks and jokes. There were many give-aways, such as flashing rings, headbands, goofy glasses and luminous bracelets, which went down extremely well with the participants; and there was also a face painter. Probably the highlight of the night was a visit from the Star Wars Association of South Australia, which I had never come across before. That association included Darth Vader, storm troopers, sith laws, Jedi masters and more.

All these wonderful people volunteered their time and really joined in with the youngsters, posing for photos with the kids and dancing with them in full costume. It was a very hot night, and I commend the way they stayed in character throughout and delighted everyone present. My sincere congratulations go to the members of the Rotary Club of Morialta who all volunteered their time—June and Damien, Judy and Alan Cushway and all the volunteers who made this evening for the youngsters so fantastic. We had a great birthday cake to celebrate, and that was shared around with everyone present. I would like particularly to thank them for their very kind invitation to be part of this most enjoyable night.

On Sunday the Morialta Residents Association (MRA) hosted a lovely afternoon to celebrate the final purchase of the portion of the Morialta Conservation Park, affectionately known as Lot 100. The MRA has been campaigning for this purchase for over 20 years. In 2007 I was approached by local residents, Dr Owen Burgan, Trish and Nick Malbon and Steve Swann, to advise me of the background to this land purchase. I have been pleased to work closely with the previous minister for the environment and heritage (Hon. Gail Gago), the current minister (Hon. Jay Weatherill) and the Minister for Urban Development and Planning (Hon. Paul Holloway) to make this purchase finally happen. I thank them all profusely for their guidance and advice throughout my research and negotiations.

The Morialta Residents Association has been diligent and tenacious in its approach. People would phone weekly to find out where we were at in our progress and kept me on task throughout this period. The current president, Peter Sydenham, also needs to be mentioned, as he took up the cudgel. This group has endured setback after setback over the decades, and there have been many players over this time—too many to mention here. I congratulate them all for not letting go of their aim.

This park is a state treasure, and the only conservation park accessible by public transport from the Greater Adelaide area. The addition of this parcel of land ensures that everyone has easy access to this popular natural resource, and helps conserve South Australia's unique and diverse plants and animals. I congratulate everyone involved in making sure that this purchase happened.

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