Federation Chamber on Tuesday 17th September 2019

Check against delivery

I rise to congratulate the members of the Port Bouvard Surf Lifesaving Club, who, on Saturday last weekend, opened the second storey of their clubhouse. It's been a long time in coming, and I was very glad to join with them and celebrate this moment. The Port Bouvard Surf Lifesaving Club are an important part of our community. They are dedicated to keeping people safe on our beaches, particularly down in Dawesville and Falcon. Their culture is one of service and sacrifice, and they give 1,500 hours of service per year, every year, to our community on our beaches. So I congratulate them for their work. It was a pleasure to join with president John Hodge, past presidents, life members and members of the club and some notable people there on the weekend: Mark Fenton, Murray Horbury, Damien Mahoney, Sarah Hull and Jeff Kallawk. It was a very lovely afternoon overlooking the Indian Ocean. We were also joined by state MPs and members of local government as well as the chair of the Peel Development Commission, Paddi Creevey. All representatives contributed in one way or another to this second storey.

It has been a very long journey to this point. The first level of the clubhouse was completed in 2008, and that was the vision of the late Ric Roberts. It was great to see his wife, Sue, there on the weekend as part of our celebrations. The second level was always part of the vision, and the club has managed to overcome financial constraints to get there. Importantly, the federal government contributed $1 million. I was there with then Prime Minister Tony Abbott on 22 August 2015, when we contributed $1 million towards the second storey. The state government also contributed money. The former member for Dawesville, Kim Hames, was instrumental, and of course the City of Mandurah contributed.

It was very special to be joined by the family of the late Don Randall, the former member for Canning, his wife, Julie, daughter, Tess, son, Elliott, and the two sisters, Nola and Delys. It was a very special occasion because we celebrated the opening of the second storey but we also remembered Don. He was a much-loved patron and supporter of the club. He loved the club and they loved him. So they honoured his memory on the weekend by naming the function room the Randall Room. His family were there to celebrate with us, and it was great to see them.

As the federal member and speaking on behalf of the government, can I just say to the club: congratulations; it's great to see the job done. I'll be working with them over the coming months and years to make sure the bar and the kitchen are fully fitted out so it can go commercial.