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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-06-02 Daily Xml
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Chaffey Electorate

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (16:02): I would like to rise and talk about a couple of events up in Chaffey, and great events they are. The Riverland Sportsperson of the Year Award was introduced back in 1961, when the winner back then was Kevin Harrington, who was a great cricketer and golfer. The awards have gone on to bigger and better things since those days—no better sportspeople, but the event is much bigger and encompasses all shapes and forms of sport in the Riverland.

Recently, I attended the 55th presentation, and it was an outstanding achievement. Obviously, you, sir, being a past sports journalist, would understand the rich history of champion sportspeople in the Riverland. We talk about Ebert, Light, Ricciuto, Fielke and Lindner as footballers, but we also have significant Olympians. We also have significant athletes who have come out of the Riverland and were brought up on those flood plains.

This year, the Mallee Junior Sportsperson of the Year was Bailey White, a great young sportsperson in both athletics and AFL. Also, the Steve McFarlane Contribution to Sport Award went to Lynton Scott. He has umpired over a thousand games of footy, so he was just an outstanding contributor to footy up in the Riverland. The John Ormsby Coach the Year was Dan Leuders in hockey, and he has done an outstanding job for hockey over a number of years. The Graham Charlton Legend of Sport went to Michael Farrent. Michael has been an outstanding contributor to sport in the Riverland for such a long time.

The sportsperson of the year award went not to a mainstream sport but to Josh Wallent for water skiing. We all know that the Riverland has a proud history, with the Fieldhouses and others, of champion or Australian champion water skiers. Josh, who hails from Morgan, has done an outstanding job to be named Sportsperson of the Year. Congratulations to all the winners, outstanding as they are.

I also want to talk about an award for the COVID-19 checkpoint champions. Kym and Karen Eckermann were jointly named as the Lions Club of the City of Adelaide and SA Police 2022 Citizens of the Year, thanking police, health and frontline staff over the last 24 months. They are Lindsay Point residents and were recognised for their tireless commitment. Obviously, being a border community had significant issues, living on one side of the border and trying to get to the other side with border closures, so they have done a great job. The couple provided hot food and cakes, fruit, scones and even firewood for SAPOL at some of those checkpoints and ADF personnel at the Lindsay Point checkpoint. They did a great job as checkpoint champions.

As to National Volunteer Week, we had many contributors to volunteering, but I want to make mention of Val Fewster of Berri. Val has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to community health. She has been everywhere for a very long time. She was a counsellor for the Australian Breast Feeding Association for 42 years, where she made an outstanding contribution. Since 2012, she has been the chair of the Riverland Community Response to Eliminating Suicide, the CORES program. I remember the first meeting I attended with her for the formation of CORES. She has done an outstanding job and is still there at the helm doing an outstanding job.

She has been a Riverland Community Suicide Prevention Network volunteer since 2015. She has been volunteering at Meals on Wheels for the last seven years, as well as the Riverland Regional Hospital. Congratulations to Val: you have done an outstanding job. I think she is also ably supported by her husband, John.

Sean Arnold of Waikerie was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award for 2022, with 40 years of service to the Country Fire Service and he has done an outstanding job. I think he is only 45, so he started young—no, he is a bit older than 45, but he does not look much older than that. He is a registered umpire with the South Australian Cricket Association and gives effortless time and commitment to the Waikerie community.

He was also a founding and life member of the Waikerie Ramco Cricket Club, as well as a life member of the Ramco Footy Club. He is also a trainer, and he is head chef there on Thursday nights. He has done an outstanding job as well as volunteering at the Loxton Show Society. I give him kudos for the great work he does. I commend all the volunteers in Chaffey.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Hon L.W.K. Bignell): Now we are going to cross to someone who is usually sitting in this spot but is on the floor of the house right now. I give you the Marvel from Kavel.

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