I acknowledge the remarkable challenge being undertaken by Wendy Evans. Wendy, a person with cerebral palsy, is attempting to become the first person with a severe disability to sail solo around Lake Macquarie, a spectacular waterway. On Friday10 November I wished Wendy well as she embarked on the first day of

There are many young people in Lake Macquarie who are doing great things in our community, often unseen and unheralded. The effort of six Year 10 students from Toronto High School who recently completed a 250-kilometre track along the Great North Walk to raise money for the Black Dog Institute deserves to be heralded loudly. Lachlan Maher, Caleb

The Lake Macquarie community is very proud of its returned service men and women, and none more so than Dave Edmond of Wangi Wangi. The Vietnam veteran was recently awarded life membership of the National RSL. That is a fitting tribute to a man who served his country valiantly not only as a rifleman but also in peacetime service to his community.

It is with great sadness that I inform the House that Lake Macquarie lost one of its finest at the weekend with the passing Robert "Dutchy" Holland. His sporting achievements on the world stage were outshone only by his dedication to family and the local community. Well remembered for taking wickets for Australia in the mid-1980s cricket

I acknowledge the achievements of Dylan Bolch, who is a wonderful example of the fantastic young tradespeople we have in Lake Macquarie. From the suburb of Woodrising, Dylan is a 22-year-old welder who has been chosen to join an elite team of young tradespeople to represent Australia at the WorldSkills international competition in Abu Dhabi in October.

I recently had the great privilege of attending the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Itji-Marru Aboriginal Resource Centre at Morisset High School, which I am very pleased to acknowledge in the Parliament today. In the local Awabakal language, Itji-Marru means "to teach everyone", and that is exactly what it has done for many hundreds of

By leave: I acknowledge an extraordinary group which brings smiles to the faces of many people with special needs in my community. In 2002 a group of nine families headed by John and Carolyn Thoroughgood began a group called the Waltz-Sing Matildas. Those families each had a child of their own with Down syndrome or other disabilities. From weekly

Today I pay tribute to an extraordinary Lake Macquarie woman who has not only conquered her disability but also the sporting world. Marilyn Mills from Morisset was born with a genetic eye disease. As her sight deteriorated in early life, she turned to sports to find a physical outlet in a safe environment. She began with blind cricket and ended

I inform the House of the silver lining that emerged over Lake Macquarie from the 2016 Rio Olympics. Last Friday morning people from around my electorate cheered home three local champions who won three silver medals in Olympic sailing events. Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen raced near-perfect final races in the 49er class to win silver. This

I acknowledge a wonderful organisation that has not only served the children of my electorate for more than 50 years but also encapsulates the true meaning of community spirit. The Peter Pan Preschool at Wangi Wangi School has operated as a community-based centre for 52 years. In fact, it was officially opened by Wangi's favourite son, Australian