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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-06-13 Daily Xml
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INDIGENOUS VETERANS MEMORIAL

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (15:30): I am very pleased today to speak about a few events that I had the pleasure of attending over recent weeks. Firstly, on 30 May I was able to represent the Hon. Jack Snelling, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, at the unveiling of a memorial in honour of Indigenous veterans at the Salisbury High School grounds. Salisbury High School is in the area of Ramsay, but the member for Ramsay and I often visit the school.

This recognition of our Indigenous veterans is a point of pride for the Labor government. The construction of this memorial follows on from the sterling work of the Salisbury RSL, the Director of Veterans SA, Bill Denny, and the whole veterans community in South Australia. I was pleased on the day to be able to hand over a cheque for $1,500 from the state government to assist in the completion and landscaping of this important memorial wall to Salisbury students Trischaye Newchurch and Ryan O'Connor.

The program on the day also featured Indigenous arts performances in the school hall and prayers at the memorial wall for those fallen Indigenous servicemen who were unable to return home to their kin. I was also happy to assist the minister and this government by attending a Reconciliation Week event on North Terrace later in the week at the Cross of Sacrifice to further recognise the Indigenous veterans who served our country.

Also, in conjunction with the Salisbury RSL I recently had the pleasure of attending the working dogs dedication day near the tramline at Salisbury, where Padre Trevor Rogers conducted a very respectful and genuine service. The event was originally planned to be a service in honour of military working dogs, but the Salisbury RSL and President Mick Lennon, in their constantly inclusive tradition, expanded the celebration to be known as Working Dogs Dedication Day.

The event celebrated and recognised all government and community working dogs and their handlers. These dogs and handlers provide an invaluable service to our community and to the wellbeing of our nation. The roles performed by these dogs and handlers are often overlooked but are nevertheless a vital community safety role.

Imagine, if you will, how hard a job it would be for customs officials if they did not have the assistance of sniffer dogs and their expert handlers. Consider the assistance given to police and the military by these fantastic animals and their committed handlers. Especially in my electorate consider the enormous contribution of service dogs in search and rescue operations performed by the State Emergency Services personnel and their dogs.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Edinburgh SES crew and some of the trainers there and their dogs. These working dogs and their handlers save lives. They deserve our respect and our appreciation. I declare my ongoing support for these working dogs and their handlers.

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