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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-09-09 Daily Xml
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St Catherine Society of SA Inc.

Ms VLAHOS (Taylor) (15:34): I would like to speak today about a group of people I first met a couple of years ago, and that is at St Catherine Society, who work very hard to keep Maltese culture alive and well in Adelaide, and many of these volunteers have worked for many years. It was a privilege to be at their annual general meeting on Sunday 30 August at St Brigid's in Kilburn.

The committee comes together regularly and holds a Festival of Feast day and also many community outreach activities throughout the year. I was very pleased to be greeted by president Bernadette Behagiar, the vice president and the secretary, Madeline Scicluna. I was sad to miss Tesse Mansuetto who was in hospital that day, but everyone at the meeting wished Tesse well. I also met her husband, Victor Mansuetto. As well as these people were councillors Tony Chetcuti, Katie Camilleri, Carmen Bianco, Anthony Farrugia and Bernadette Aguis who were all once again successfully elected to run the committee for another year.

St Catherine's involves people living in my area who are very passionate, and I first met them a few years ago at one of my community annual drinks. They work very hard to ensure that the history of Malta and its cultures are not only passed through to their grandchildren and to their local area but also to bring a place of fellowship for those of Maltese background in the community.

Another person who does that is the honorary consul for the Maltese community in South Australia, and that is Frank Scicluna. I was very honoured to meet him the other day and to receive a copy of his book on ANZAC history and the role of nurses in the ANZAC centenary, which is very important as there are 300 Australians buried in Malta today as a result of the war 100 years ago.

I think that the most important thing I did on the day was recognising the active role that Bernadette and Victor have played in that community for a long time and to present them with the Premier's Volunteer Recognition certificates. These two individuals have been selfless in the way they have contributed to St Catherine's committee for many years. Victor has been on the committee for over 15 years. He is a very dedicated committee member as treasurer, even though he has faced his own health issues recently, as well as working alongside his wife who also works on the committee. He has always generously contributed his time and energy to ensure that the social and cultural wellbeing of the Maltese community is put first.

Bernadette, our current president, is a member of the Maltese community, too, of many years, and I believe that she has contributed to the Maltese community for too many years to mention here. Both are well known and well loved and work hard to ensure that the traditions are passed to a new generation. I congratulate them on their ongoing efforts and that of St Catherine's. They are delightful people. They are the lifeblood of what this multicultural state is about. I wish them well in the future, and I will be always there to assist them whenever they may need it.

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