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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-09-16 Daily Xml
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Heysen Electorate

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:20): It is my great pleasure to rise on this first Tuesday back after what has been a truly fantastic coincidence of celebrations at Macclesfield. First, on Saturday, Meadows provided the setting. Meadows hosted the Country League grand final. I do want to pay tribute to Kangarilla for coming up and prevailing in the Bs. They defeated Meadows and did that soundly.

In the As, Macclesfield was up against Kangarilla, and I have to be the world's diplomat in Heysen because all of these teams are Heysen teams, and Kangarilla did brilliantly well to get to the grand final, but the great story of this year, and in fact of decades, was the Blood 'n' Tars return to the premiership after 45 years—45 years it has been.

Trevor Edwards, a player in the 1980s era team, was in the grandstand and well that that was the case because this very year, Joylene Edwards was awarded in the Order of Australia and the King's Birthday honours her OAM for services to Aussie Rules football and chiefly for decades of service to the Blood 'n' Tars, the Macclesfield Football Club. In what could not be a more poetic occasion, the investiture ceremony occurred just yesterday. I was in attendance to celebrate and recognise Joy Edwards with Trevor and their family on receipt of that OAM. I can tell you, the whole town and district of Macclesfield is celebrating a premiership and a local hero all at once.

It is a wonderful thing to play the game, it is a great thing to volunteer and when there are decades of service being recognised at a time when there is a once-in-45-year premiership, then that is a truly special occasion indeed. All the strength to the Blood 'n' Tars, and may this be the first of very many premierships over the years to come.

I was reminded again as recently as last night of the great strength, the fabric of community contribution that pervades the Macclesfield community, the surrounding districts and, indeed, all the way through Heysen, as was on display last night at the Macclesfield Community Association's AGM. I acknowledge the longstanding service of the Chair, Penny Warland. This is an occasion where there are about a dozen significant community initiatives that are each reported on, from the Strawberry Fair to Maccy Biochar, to the tremendous state and nation-leading work for support of men's mental health with the Maccy Men's Shed, all the way through to the history group.

There are so many other initiatives that, through the Macclesfield Community Association, are facilitated for that local community. Last night, it was wonderful to hear about last year's work, but it was underscored by having Sarah Hill along from Imagine Uraidla to talk to the Macclesfield Community Association about the way in which it is done by another local community, in Uraidla, just a short stretch further up to the north.

The exchange of ideas, initiatives and means of getting people in the community out and about, supported, encouraged to do the things that they have in mind, was just a wonderful thing to be a part of. There are some things that, as the years go by—there is a special shout-out to Cathy and the Young at Heart group as well—you can look around the room where one community association can compare achievement with another, and it is truly a special time.

The SPEAKER: A shout-out to all the netball and footy clubs in my area as well. Country footy is great, particularly at the business end of the season. I was on Kangaroo Island on the weekend to see Western Districts win pretty convincingly over Wisanger. In the B grade, Dudley United returned to the winners' circle with a seven-point win over Wisanger. I feel like I am back on the ABC sport desk.

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