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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-06-08 Daily Xml
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MARY MACKILLOP FOUNDATION

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (15:38): It was my pleasure to recently represent the Premier of South Australia, the Hon. Mike Rann MP, at Adelaide's Mary MacKillop Foundation fundraising breakfast and the celebration of their 2011 initiative, the Travelling Sisters Roadshow. The roadshow involves two sisters from the Sisters of St Joseph travelling throughout Australia in a promotional van. They have already commenced their journey, visiting schools and town centres across Australia in order to provide education and awareness of the work of the foundation, at the same time creating fundraising opportunities on each of their roadshows. A dedicated team from the foundation, Peter Goers the MC and our state Governor, His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, welcomed several hundred guests to the Mary MacKillop Foundation annual fundraising gala breakfast.

The Mary MacKillop Foundation was initially conceived in November 1993 by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and has come from beginnings based on needs. The congregation works on the principal objective of providing assistance and relief with respect to social disadvantage, poverty, sickness, distress, destitution and disability in accordance with the spirit of the congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart.

Mary Helen MacKillop was born of Scottish immigrants on 15 January 1842 in Fitzroy, Victoria, and is now known as St Mary of the Cross after her canonisation on 17 October 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI, thereby becoming Australia's first saint. I know that there have been previous contributions and a ministerial statement in relation to St Mary of the Cross's life, so I will not go into any detail. I should, however, mention that her life's work and legacy in South Australia are an inspiration to all of us.

I understand that from 1995 to 2010 the foundation has funded over 300 small life-changing projects, projects responding to the needs of rural and isolated communities, Indigenous groups, people with disabilities and those forgotten by society. It supports projects throughout Australia from metropolitan areas like Sydney to remote rural areas in the Kimberley in Western Australia.

An example of the work the foundation is involved in is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tertiary Scholarships Program. This program came from Mary MacKillop's concern for the welfare of Aboriginal people, particularly in relation to the education of Aboriginal children. Indeed, her commitment to the welfare and education of Indigenous children sets an inspiring example. I should place on record that over the past 11 years 30 Indigenous students have graduated in law, medicine, business, education, nursing, arts and science, with 18 students receiving a $2,000 Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Studies at Notre Dame and Australian Catholic Universities across Australia. There are another 35 students enrolled in 2011.

There are many more examples of the valuable work the foundation does. These include programs such as financial literacy, social inclusion of disadvantaged children and 'From Homelessness to Independence'. In view of the many recent natural disasters throughout Australia, the MMF has pledged to utilise all donations received this year from the public towards small life-changing projects that have a particular regard to disaster recovery projects in Australia.

I would like to place on record the outstanding commitment and inspirational dedication the MMF has to the community, and congratulate the foundation for its valuable efforts. The work of the roadshow captures the true spirit of St Mary of the Cross to empower young people to 'never see a need without trying to do something about it'. To mark the end of the roadshow, the foundation will be taking a major step in improving awareness and raising funds with a week of national appeal, culminating in a Green and a Gold Day on Friday, 21 October 2011.

This day will be about celebrating the contribution the foundation has made to so many small life-changing projects by encouraging the wearing of green and gold to work or school. Ultimately, it is about supporting our fellow Australians. I congratulate the chairman of the foundation, Mr Paul Caesar, and Mr Sam Hardjono, the CEO of the foundation, for their commitment, as well, of course, as the dedicated sisters of St Joseph, for all the valuable work they do for our society.

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