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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-09-08 Daily Xml
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Vella, Mr P.

Mr FULBROOK (Playford) (15:08): I rise on behalf of a grateful community to give thanks for the services of Paul Vella. I am delighted that he and his mother, Celestina, could be here to join me today. Paul has recently stepped down as the President of the Salisbury West Sports Club after a long and distinguished association with the club both on and off the field.

Before I speak of his achievements, it is important to note that the club, through its two ovals, clubrooms and courts facilitates numerous affiliated subclubs and is home to junior football, cricket, netball, soccer, eight ball, darts and poker. It hosts a range of community events, such as Christmas shows, film nights and raffles, while supporting the needs of our multicultural communities.

Until recently, at the heart of this was a man with a wealth of knowledge in business management and the necessary tools to operate and run a successful not-for-profit club. While Paul's passion is cricket, his record as a community leader is exemplary, and he has ensured that, no matter the game, all sports have been welcomed and treated very fairly.

Over the years, the make-up of our community has changed significantly. Fewer places can lay greater claim to the multicultural diversity of Adelaide's north. It is through leadership, shown by good people like Paul, that new communities have emerged, integrated and, most importantly, felt welcome in places like Salisbury West.

While my ability to delve into the historical records of the club is questionable, to indemnify myself I must pass on my thanks to Rob Klose and Adrian Griguol, who helped me pull these words together. To gain an appreciation of Paul's contribution, we need to travel back to 1973, when he first began playing cricket with the Junior Colts under 14s team. Along his sporting journey, Paul played a starring role with the undefeated under 16s premiership team in 1976-77 in which he was the leading run scorer. He went on to make headlines with the unique record in the semifinal of scoring 76 runs in the morning with the under 16s and then making 104 in his first century that afternoon with the D-grade team.

He went on to become a vital member of Salisbury West's first ever grade 1 premiership in 1986 and 1987. Paul continued to play a role with the cricket club until he retired as a player in 2018-19. A six-time premiership player, his time at the crease spanned 45 years, playing 320 senior games, amassing almost 6,000 runs, taking 63 wickets, with 166 catches and 14 stumpings. His success as a coach of the junior teams should also not go unnoticed.

In recent years, as the Salisbury West Sports Club faced difficult times due to the collapse of senior football operations, it was Paul who took it upon himself to retrieve the grave situation the club found itself in by taking on the role of its president. His work included the big decision to attract soccer teams to the club. From this dedication, the club battled financial difficulty and it has emerged with the same defiance Paul displayed at the crease.

Paul Vella is one of the main reasons why the Salisbury West Sports Club is operating to this day. His business acumen and leadership have allowed the club to continue to operate without the fear of closure and, at the same time, allowed itself to focus on bringing people together. For this, I give thanks and, through the reading of this speech into Hansard, Paul's many achievements are now proudly enshrined into the public record.

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