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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-22 Daily Xml
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LIGHT ELECTORATE

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (15:29): Today I would like to mention a few things to the house regarding events in my electorate. On Friday I attended the Gawler High School year 12 graduation ceremony. As members may be aware, Gawler High is my old school. I presented Leila Thornhill the John Chambers Memorial Award for Excellence in the study of humanities for 2011. I congratulate her on her success. This is an award which I actually initiated and which I sponsored in memory of my former economics teacher, Mr John Chambers, who was a science, economics and maths teacher at Gawler High School who unfortunately had a premature death at the age of 48 from cancer. John was not only a great economics teacher but he was also a great human being. He was more than a teacher, he was a mentor. I congratulate that person on winning this award.

The other ceremony I attended last week was on Friday at the Premier's Historian of the Year Award for South Australia for 2011. The award, part of the National History Challenge, is a research-based competition which gives years five to 12 students an opportunity to be historians. The theme for the challenge for 2011 was 'Defining Moments in Australian History'. I represented the Premier, and I had the pleasure to give the award to a local student from St Brigid's school, Sarah McFaul.

Letters from five Australian politicians inspired Sarah to undertake research in what was a defining moment for women in their struggle for political rights in Australia. Sarah said that Margaret Reid (the first female president in the Senate) encouraged her to write about women, and she started on an essay on Catherine Helen Spence. She then discovered Mary Lee, which led to an interview with the member for Florey, Frances Bedford, and then a fascinating tour of the Muriel Matters exhibition in the South Australian parliament.

From those discussions came Sarah's project. Sarah's project consisted of an essay, a 122 metre yellow ribbon (representing the length of the 1984 monster petition), a rolling pin (symbolising the stereotypical image of women as housewives) and letters from female politicians who were the first in their field of endeavour.

The various category winners produced some excellent work expressing very mature views and insights. Sarah won both the years five and six category and the overall category, including the Premier's Young Historian of the Year Award. I would like to congratulate Sarah, her family and her school, who I am sure supported her through that process.

On Tuesday last week I officially opened the South Australian Aquatic Biosecurity Centre at the University of Adelaide's Roseworthy Campus. The $2.4 million facility (funded by the South Australian government through Marine Innovation SA) positions South Australia to become a key national provider in aqua biosecurity research. The South Australian Aquatic Biosecurity Centre provides researchers with highly-secure conditions for the study of aquatic pathogens and pests, offering capabilities previously unavailable in Australia because of its combination of scale and level of containment.

It will be jointly operated by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the university. The collaboration will generate benefits for the seafood industry, university students and all South Australians who use and enjoy our unique coastal and marine environments by safeguarding these systems from exotic pests and diseases. The centre is collocated with the university's School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, offering researchers access to the school's state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratories and its veterinary specialists. I congratulate the university and SARDI on this major achievement.

Also, on Saturday I attended the Playford Alive Community Fun Day. Thousands of local residents flocked to the Playford Alive Community Fun Day despite the weather. Held on the gardens adjacent to the wetlands at Munno Para West, the fun day had heaps of food and fun for the whole family. Supported by the Land Management Corporation, in conjunction with the Imagine Peachey Committee, the event had a strong 'healthy living' theme.

A number of government and non-government agencies had stalls promoting the availability of the various services throughout the region. I had the pleasure to officially open the event. Triple M radio personality Cosi was the MC for the occasion. Dancing and music from various cultures, including modern music and dance, provided an uplifting backdrop to the event. I acknowledge the member for Taylor who was also present, as well as the member for Wakefield, the Hon. Nick Champion.

My office had a fruit salad stall along the theme of 'healthy eating/healthy living' with all the proceeds going to local community organisations. The event was well run by local volunteers and well supported by the community.

Time expired.

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