Legislative Assembly

22337 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Tuesday 11 May 2010 __________ The Speaker (The Hon. George Richard Torbay) took the chair at 1.00 p.m. The Speaker read the Prayer and acknowledgement of country. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Notices of Motions General Business Notices of Motions (General Notices) given. [During the giving of notices of motions.] Mr Daryl Maguire: Point of order: Mr Speaker, you have ruled previously on the length of notices of motions. As important as this notice of motion is, I draw your attention to its length and ask that you remind members to comply with your previous ruling. The SPEAKER: Order! I ask the Clerks to amend the notice of motion to ensure that it conforms to the standing orders. Mr Paul Gibson: Point of order: I draw attention to the length of the notices of motions and ask that they be reviewed. The SPEAKER: Order! I uphold the point of order. I have ruled previously in relation to the length of notices of motions. Members should avail themselves of the advice of the Clerks in relation to their notices of motions. Lengthy notices of motions will be amended by the Clerks at my request. PRIVATE MEMBERS' STATEMENTS __________ ANZAC FIELD OF REMEMBRANCE, THE ENTRANCE Mr GRANT McBRIDE (The Entrance) [1.10 p.m.]: The Entrance and Long Jetty War Widows Guild again invited me to attend the dedication service for the Anzac Field of Remembrance at The Entrance Memorial Park Cenotaph. As members are aware, Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War; the soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions for both Australia and New Zealand. This is a rare instance of not only two sovereign countries sharing the same remembrance day but also making reference to both countries in that day's name. On 30 April 1915, when the first news of the landing reached New Zealand, a half-day holiday was declared and impromptu services were held. The following year a public holiday was gazetted on 5 April and commemoration services were organised by the returned servicemen. The date 25 April was officially named Anzac Day in 1916, and was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services in Australia and New Zealand. The first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927. Dawn services were originally very simple and followed the operational ritual; in many cases they were restricted to veterans only. The daytime ceremony was for families and other wellwishers and the dawn service was for returned soldiers to remember and reflect among the comrades with whom they shared a special bond. Today Australians young and old pay tribute to those who made sacrifices in the many conflicts over the past 100 years. The Entrance and Long Jetty War Widows Guild commemorates Anzac Day with its special dedication service. This year we were welcomed to the dedication service by Mrs Elsie Small, who introduced us to the Reverend Wilma Bond, who opened with the Lords Prayer. Mrs Shirley Johnson, President of The Entrance and Long Jetty War Widows Guild, gave a recitation of the Ode, and this was followed by the Last Post from bugler Kylie Walker. There was then a dedicatory prayer. I, accompanied by my mother, Elaine, was 22338 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 11 May 2010 honoured to be part of the cross-laying ceremony. This is a very special event for my mother, who is now some 83 years of age, as her father was an original Anzac and her three brothers served in World War II. Her youngest brother, William, was killed in the last days of World War II. So for my mother Anzac Day is a very special day, and I really appreciate having the opportunity to accompany her so that she has this opportunity to venerate those who gave their lives and the members of her family who have passed away. The war widows planted crosses, then guests and the general public were invited to plant a cross in remembrance of relatives and friends who gave their lives in the service of their country. Again, it was a stirring ceremony, and the families and young people who were there were moved by this spiritual and solemn occasion. I want to thank Shirley Johnson and the War Widows Guild, The Entrance-Long Jetty RSL Sub-Branch President, Allan Fletcher, OAM, its secretary, Ray Toomey, and the 17th Infantry Battalion's Colin Wild, who led the singing. Everyone worked tirelessly to make the day truly one of remembrance. Typical Anzac services follow a pattern that is now familiar to generations of Australians and contain the following features: an introduction, a hymn, a prayer, an address, the laying of wreaths, a recitation, the playing of the Last Post, and a minute of silence. I am sure everyone would agree with me that that minute of silence is the longest minute of silence one ever has. It is a very moving occasion, as we have all experienced. At The Entrance Memorial Park, following events such as the Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services, families often place artificial red poppies beside the names of relatives on the memorial's Roll of Honour and sprigs of rosemary are often worn on lapels to remember those who gave their lives. Again, I extend my thanks to the organisers of the dedication service. It reminds me of how proud I am to represent both my State and the electorate of The Entrance at such a worthy ceremony. ROTARY AWARDS Mr JONATHAN O'DEA (Davidson) [1.14 p.m.]: Rotary award presentations focus on local achievements and people who have put great effort into their work, and who in turn assist in building our local communities. Like the many volunteers we honour during this National Volunteer Week, Rotary award recipients put exceptional effort into our community through their work in different spheres, striving towards a common goal of bettering our society and hopefully enjoying it in the process. As a service organisation, Rotary aims to improve the quality of life in our society through community service activities. One such activity is its conferral of local Community Service Awards, an event that recently took place in Rotary clubs at St Ives and Lindfield in my electorate of Davidson. The awards recognise outstanding individuals such as the five volunteers recognised by the Rotary Club of St Ives at Pymble Golf Club on 28 April 2010. The awardees included Elsje Osborne from the St Ives Netball Club, for her 10 years service to her club in the role of umpire convenor. Due to Elsje's efforts the club now has a large number of accomplished and committed umpires. Jo Harris from the Historical Society of Ku-ring-gai was honoured for her eminent work as a wireless operator and radio historian. The diversity of Jo's participation in community service includes coordinating the communication centre for the 1991 "Big Storm" that hit Sydney. She was also the "mission control" for Dick Smith's epic hot air balloon flights from Western Australia to New South Wales and from New Zealand to New South Wales. A husband and wife team, Rob and Pam Mayrick from Ku-ring-gai Meals on Wheels, were recognised for their stalwart service over 17 years in the delivery of meals to the elderly and infirmed in Ku-ring-gai. Harry Cramer from the State Emergency Service was awarded for more than 45 years service to the State Emergency Service. Harry has been involved in many of the natural disasters that have hit Sydney, including the firestorm of 1993-94, the eastern suburbs hailstorm of 1999, the Nyngan floods of 1990, and the tragedy that occurred in Thredbo. He was already the holder of several National Medals and the Volunteer Medal in 2001. Meanwhile, at Lindfield Rotary club three people were also recently honoured with awards. A Pride of Workmanship Award went to Lisa Johnston for many years service to Lindfield Pharmacy, while Community Service Awards were conferred upon Tim Cox, AO, for service to the performing arts, including the Australian Ballet and Bell Shakespeare Company, and Namoi Dougall for her service to the refugee and migration tribunals and her work as the current chairman of Ku-ring-gai Youth Development Service. Rotary clubs such as those of St Ives and Lindfield are extremely active in our community, and I enjoy supporting their causes. As recently as last Saturday week I travelled from a graffiti clean-up activity that Lindfield and Turramurra Rotary clubs were involved in to the St Ives Village Green Fair, where St Ives Rotary Club was raising community awareness of important causes, including Rotary's Polio Plus campaign. I am sure all members appreciate and admire the voluntary work that Rotary performs and the way it inspires others to make further outstanding performances. 11 May 2010 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 22339 SCENIC HILLS EXPANSION PROJECT Dr ANDREW McDONALD (Macquarie Fields—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.18 p.m.]: The southern part of the electorate of Macquarie Fields includes the rural suburb of Varroville, of which the Scenic Hills area is a part. Yet again, our much-loved Scenic Hills are under threat. This time it is about a proposal by AGL to extend the existing natural gas harvesting to this area, called the northern expansion of the Camden gas project. This expansion would consist of a network of wells connecting to a processing plant, which we recently found out would be constructed in Varroville.

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