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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-06-05 Daily Xml
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE BLIND

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:29): On 19 May in my role as patron, I attended the AGM of the South Australian Blind Bowlers Club (SABBC). This fine group of sportspeople play an already difficult to master sport at a high level with the added necessity to allow for sight impairment. Blind bowlers require the assistance of directors or guides to ensure their participation is possible. Sporting opportunities for people with any level of disability are to be encouraged and applauded. As they are a voluntary body, they rely heavily on the assistance of a good many people.

I know SABBC is particularly grateful to the Salisbury Bowling Club which provides game day and practice facilities and they also hosted a recent national tournament as well as other city and country clubs—in particular, Port Broughton, Port Noarlunga and Ardrossan—which welcome them during the year. The Royal Society for the Blind at Gilles Plains is also on their list of thankyous for their indoor bowls facilities.

The SABBC has a year of activities and still manages to fundraise to send a team to national competitions, no mean feat as most of them are reliant on a low fixed income. This year, they represent us in Perth. I would like to note that at last year's Australian Open in Victoria, President Kath Murrell won a gold medal. The Blind Sporting Council assists them with funding for these prestigious events.

During the AGM, Doreen Smith received the Premier's Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Voluntary Service. Her citation is way too long to read here now, but suffice to say her years of service and contribution in many and varied roles is exceptional and her continued involvement is highly valued and regarded. The executive committee also makes a great contribution, and they acknowledged Barry Henley, the retiring secretary, and Ron Fawkes, the resigning secretary who was replaced during the year by Doris Thomas. My thanks to all of them, especially the president, Kath Murrell, the committee, team managers, selectors and everyone who works to ensure the success of the SABBC.

I was also privileged to attend the Blind Welfare Association at Gilles Plains recently, in the company of the member for Torrens, as the BWA is close to our boundaries, at the opening of the Marney Pearce Technology Lounge. This fabulous new facility, in the largely redeveloped site, houses state-of-the-art computers and software designed for the sight-impaired, which will enable people with none or some hands-on use to update their IT skills and to bring them a whole new world of opportunities and experiences.

The Blind Welfare Association recognised the wonderful volunteer service of Gunter Bottcher with a Premier's certificate during the formalities. A sumptuous spread was offered as refreshment, prepared by the volunteers who so ably support this special place. I acknowledge the work of the BWA manager, Rosemary Murdock, president Tony Starke, and the committee, who have made BWA the exciting and welcoming place it is today.

In closing, I acknowledge the Girl Guides in this state. After attending their recent Celebrate and Discover Guiding Event, I have an even higher admiration now for all they do and the opportunities they provide for the girls and young women of our state. Girl Guides has a very professional approach to their work. Again, volunteers play a major role in their programs, and their programs and support literature for those programs, corporate-look uniforms and marketing—I am sure everybody has eaten a Girl Guide biscuit this year—are of a very high standard.

Before the AGM, we heard from Sonya Ryan, who was South Australian of the Year this year, a cyber-safety campaigner, who is now the spearhead of the Carly Ryan Foundation. This group works to bring the important safety message necessary for all users of social media; young men and women are equally vulnerable. The Carly Ryan Foundation is striving to educate for awareness and safety in using social media to save users from the stress and harm that can befall them through improper and careless use of this very powerful social medium.

Girl Guides are facilitating this message as part of their care and support of guides, and I praise their service and look forward to continuing to work with them for many years to come as they encourage and recognise the contribution to development of girls and young women to reach their full potential and, in turn, support guiding into the future.

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