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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-10-28 Daily Xml
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Modbury Sports and Community Club

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (15:34): I, too, would like to thank the member for Morialta for the advice that he has given me over a period of time. Having seats next door to each other, we are often seated next to each other at events, and he always has a kind, if not opinionated, comment for me from time to time. I am very grateful for the support he has given me, even from the other side of politics.

It does bring me great joy to be here today speaking about the future of the Modbury Sports and Community Club, which was officially opened on 17 October. There are quite a few people I would like to thank in acknowledgement of this project. Firstly, of course, I would like to acknowledge my two sidekicks, the member for King and the member for Wright, as well as Tony Zappia, the member for Makin, who joined me on the night of the opening but who also have been there alongside me as representatives of the north-eastern suburbs throughout this process.

We spend a lot of time at the Modbury Sports and Community Club, whether it be for preso nights, ladies' days, sponsors' lunches or home games. The member for Wright and I often bring our dogs over to the oval. I can actually walk there from my house. Like all the sporting clubs in the Gully, the players, volunteers and committee members have all made us incredibly welcome, and for that I am very grateful.

I would of course like to thank the people who have made this wonderful project come to life, particularly Greg Byles, president of the Modbury sporting club, and his committee, alongside Andrew Bircher, Ryan Richards—it seems strange to call footy club members by their actual names; I was trying to remember their names that are not their nicknames when saying that at the time—and also Daniel and the team at the cricket club and all the other members of the new build committee. I would also like to acknowledge the incredible work of the City of Tea Tree Gully, particularly Greg Salmon and his team, as well as the team at Walter Brooke, CPR Engineers, BESTEC, Rider Levett Bucknall, and the incredible builders at BluBuilt.

The new Modbury Sports and Community Club is one of the best places I have been; I can say that now because I still have, I think, three or four election commitments that have not opened yet and will do so over the next few weeks. If you are yet to see the view at the Modbury Sports and Community Club, I encourage you to go out there, grab a beer from Sandy at the bar and have a look at our beloved Modbury Oval. It has been designed in a way that well and truly caters for the future needs of the Modbury sporting club. One of my favourite features is that you can separate the bar. It is sort of like a partition in the middle so the club members can enjoy celebrations after the game on one side, but you can also hire out a function space on the other side at the same time.

There are also so many elements of the build that are quintessentially Modbury. There is, of course, the Building the Nest board, which acknowledges all those players, volunteers and committee members who contributed financially to the project. There is the Tim Davey Wall of Fame, which they announced at the preso night a few weeks ago. There are awards, there are plaques and all sorts of different pieces of memorabilia acknowledging the role of the Modbury Sports and Community Club in our community for 160 years.

It was at the beginning of 2021 that this project really started to take shape when Greg Byles met with the member for Wright and the member for Makin to discuss the future of the club. I was a Tea Tree Gully councillor at that time when those conversations first were being discussed, way before I knew that I would end up as the candidate for Newland at the state election. At the 2021 presentation night, I was really proud, alongside the now member for King, the member for Wright and our now Premier, to announce that we would contribute a significant amount of money towards the new build should we be elected in 2022, and how glad I am that we did.

It was also the same night that I saw the true commitment from the club to get the job done. Lots of groups ask for money, but not all are willing to roll their own sleeves up, make the contribution and put the hard work in to deliver a project for their mates. That night, we learned about the Building the Nest project, where members, players and life members were all encouraged to contribute a financial donation to the build themselves and be acknowledged for time immemorial in the new build should it happen.

Like the members, I have been really excited to watch each stage of the project, whether it was the sod turn, watching the frame go up, watching the old club go down, and now watching our new incredible club come to life. It has been a labour of love for so many people at the Modbury Sports and Community Club. I am really excited about the new home for the Hawkettes. I want to acknowledge the players, volunteers, coaches and all those who have committed to the future of footballers, cricketers and, of course, community members at Modbury. I am well and truly looking forward to being part of some of the next 160 years of the club.

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