I’ve been very proud to represent the people of McPherson since 2010, and my first priority is always to fight for what we need on the Gold Coast: helping small businesses to grow and to create jobs, improving our local roads, making our communities safer, delivering better health services, protecting our environment and supporting our seniors and veterans. But there is another special group of people who are dedicated to making our community better every day, and they are our local community volunteers. Each year since I was elected, I have honoured them for their service through the McPherson Community Achiever Awards, presented across three categories: Community Achiever, Surf Lifesaving Community Achiever and Young Community Achiever.
The Community Achiever award recipients for 2022 are: Kylie Ackland, Margie Andrew, John Andrews, Allan Barnett, Jenna Baudach, Beverley Brand, Beverly Clark, Costa Constantinou, Judi Fischer, Kristy Flanagan, Janice Foster, Sarah Galvin, James Geraghty, Anne Gisler, Philip Hallowes, Anthony Inns, Tony Keilar, Kathryn Killingback, David Langham, Helen McIntyre, Kate Moore, Pierre Nicolet, Narelle Olsen, Shaun Pearson, Sue Pola, Jodie Saul, Kerry Shepherd, Sue Spence, Bruce Standen, Simone Tait, Trevor Thomas, Sue White, Mina Yagami and Joseph Zarb.
The Surf Lifesaving Community Achiever award recipients are: Michelle Allport, Rachel Campbell, Margaret Cargnoni, David Collins, Greg Cox, Zara Doyle, Allen Harvie, Kylene Hickey, Robert Hodgson, Andrew Lee, Hayden Lewis-Fox, Matthew Lunn, Craig Maidment, Tiarna McGee, Celeste Mitchell, Angela Morrison, Troy Muller, Mark Page, Nicholas Perugino, Donna Riley, Tayla Rogers, Jack Seymour, Jonathan Stride, Hugo-Roderick Tolvay, Andrew Walker, Louise Waller, Stephen Ward, Ethan Wilson and Matilda Yates.
The Young Community Achiever Award recipients are: Shaun Butler, Ethan Campbell, Lauren Curtis, Tom Knowles, Jackson Miller, Joshua O’Brien, Daniel Perry, Thomas Platt, Daisy Rice, Chelsea Rose Schaper, Lily Suttle and Kathryn Woodward.
I once again commend these recipients for the fabulous work that they have done—in some cases over many, many years—for the people on the southern Gold Coast. It’s an absolute highlight of each year for me since I have been in parliament to recognise these outstanding individuals for the service that they have given to our community. Thank you.