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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-09-12 Daily Xml
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Glitter Gang

Mrs PEARCE (King) (15:29): In our line of work, very few days look the same. We are out and about in our community in myriads of ways. We are reflecting the views and priorities of our communities here in this place and, of course, we are introducing and debating important legislation for the betterment of our state. However, I recently had one particular experience that was like no other I have had before. It was a little scary, it was empowering and it was absolutely exhilarating.

I spent the afternoon out at Mallala with the incredible Glitter Gang, a fantastic group of women who are passionate about motorsport and increasing female participation within the sport. These women are an elite group of drifters and the very first all-female drift group here in South Australia. Hats off to the six founding members: Hayley Jones, Bonnie Thomas, Lucy Ellis, Renae Sullivan, Briony Solomon and Kimi Szyjko for what they have achieved.

Glitter Gang has been created to provide a safe environment for women who are interested in exploring motorsport further and who want to give drifting a go. I have never had a more welcoming and supportive event, one where each of the participants is there just as much to support one another to do their best as they are to being there for themselves to achieve their own personal best in a field they love.

I am very pleased to share that I got to ride shotgun—and it is safe to say that I packed it just a little bit—and I got to see these amazing women in action and experience firsthand their skills in some exceptional, specially built vehicles. I rode with Lucy, who turned her first car, her dream car, into a drifting machine. In her Nissan Silvia S13, we spun out at speeds of over 150 km/h, hitting those bends flying sideways. In fact, Lucy shared that whilst on track she believes she had her best lap ever, one where we managed to drift through every turn possible on the circuit. I do not think I have ever had such an adrenaline rush as I did that afternoon.

After years of being interested in motorsport, Lucy explained that, without a platform to get involved in herself, she found it so empowering to have been able to help create a safe space for other women. The women involved come from all backgrounds; some are involved in local government and public relations, others are in graphic design and defence. One incredible participant has been rocking it in a male-dominated industry for some time, having been a mechanic for about 20 years and owning her own business. They are all absolute superstars.

That is why I am so pleased that this government has chosen to back them—because we back female participation and we back motorsport here in our state. In fact, Glitter Gang was one of the first recipients to receive funding through our Car Club Program, which was used to help get more women involved in this fantastic event. Events like this drift day help to generate a surge of excitement, capturing the attention not only of locals but also of motoring enthusiasts across the nation. By attracting visitors to South Australia, events like this help to boost tourism, inject vibrancy into regional communities and promote the state as a premier destination for motoring enthusiasts.

I for one know that these amazing women celebrated a great day out over at the Mallala pub afterwards, followed by a day out exploring the Barossa over the weekend—and that is exactly what we want to see. Car and motorcycle clubs have a long and proud history in South Australia, and these grants, whether for events, infrastructure or operational purposes, help to keep our car and motorcycle clubs going from strength to strength. I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to experience this firsthand.

I would also like to take a few moments to second the member for Newland's sentiments about the great efforts of the Modbury Hawks football club over the weekend. It has got to be quite a fierce competition in the north-east because I am very proud to share that the As and Bs for the Golden Grove Football Club have also made it into the grand final, which means we have secured going up another division into next year.

It is safe to say we have some incredible champions out in the north-east, and the netball club is doing very well as well. The Northeast Zodiacs senior 6 team won the grand final just yesterday and the Golden Grove Netball Club is also doing incredibly well in a few different areas, fields and divisions.

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