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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-17 Daily Xml
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SERVICE CLUBS

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:33): It is that time of year again when many of us have to attend a plethora of service club changeover dinners, and I would just like to mention the service clubs in my electorate, starting with the Hindmarsh Island Rotary Club, the Goolwa Rotary Club, the Goolwa Lions Club, the Victor Harbor and Port Elliot Lions Club, the Victor Harbor Rotary Club, the Victor Harbor Apex Club, the Encounter Bay Rotary Club, the Victor Harbor Zonta Club, the Yankalilla Rotary Club, the Yankalilla Lions Club, the KI Rotary Club, the KI Lions Club, the Western Kangaroo Island Lions Club and, last but not least, in no particular order, the new Leo Club at Yankalilla—

The Hon. R.J. McEwen interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: I was about to say, member for Mount Gambier—and a host of Probus clubs. As I said, it is that time of year when we do the rounds and indeed last night I had to attend the Victor Harbor Lions Club changeover dinner and I saw Mr Bob Adams come in. Jan and I attended one on the island and we have just got them rolling through over the next four or five weeks.

I would like to acknowledge the enormous contribution that these clubs make to the community, not only in my electorate but across the state, across Australia and across the world, quite frankly. They do an absolutely amazing job, and wherever you go you see Lions and Rotary. The Apex Club in Victor Harbor is only a very small club. Karen Dutton is the current president of that club, ably assisted by her husband Chris and a group of other people. They are only small but they do their best.

A lot of these clubs have to work very hard to keep themselves going. I know that the Rotary Club on Kangaroo Island has only a dozen or so members. A couple of weeks ago, Jan and I attended the changeover dinner for the Kangaroo Island Rotary Club. That is the first changeover dinner that I have attended at any of the service clubs on the island for three years; they generally clash with those on the mainland.

It was a good afternoon and a sign of community strength in that we had a considerable number of people from the mainland who came over for that, particularly the Barossa Valley Rotary Clubs, which are most supportive of the island Rotary Club. These dinners go on. Indeed, sometimes they do go on, but always with the best intent. Sometimes it is a bit of a problem to find different words to propose a toast to Rotary International and Lions International without going over the same ground, but the very fact that I am asked along and given the opportunity to say a few words is greatly appreciated.

I have a great deal of respect for those service clubs. I am an honorary member of the Victor Harbor Rotary Club. That club alone, with the commitment it has to the community, along with the other clubs, is quite remarkable. Its annual art exhibition in Victor Harbor is, I think, the largest art exhibition in Australia outside of the metropolitan area. It is enormous, and most of that money goes back into the community.

A few months ago, Jan and I attended the sheepdog trials at Yankalilla. The small Lions Club at Yankalilla was doing the gate, the catering, and rendering assistance. They were there all day, just a few people, and it was an enormously satisfying experience to go along.

A few months ago I attended the inauguration of the Yankalilla Leo Club. I do not know whether other members have Leo Clubs in their electorate. They are for children, and the Yankalilla Leo Club is very much supported by the Yankalilla Area School. The group of young children who were there were terrific. They handled themselves well, and I wish them all the success in the world.

In the time left to me, once again, I want to support the service clubs across my electorate. Jan and I get a great deal of pleasure going to not only the changeover dinners but a host of other things that are run by these community organisations. I know that if there is an issue and I have to go back to one of the clubs to see if they can help somewhere, they are always keen to do it.

Time expired.

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