CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Ms PENFOLD (Lyne) (10:25): Today I rise to recognise the life and contribution of a remarkable local businessman, community leader and family man, Mr James Dunn, managing director of Expressway Spares, who, tragically, passed away suddenly last month. Born in Taree and raised on the Mid North Coast, James was part of a family whose name is synonymous with business success and community contribution across our region.
As the grandson of Gerard Cassegrain, who founded Expressway Spares in 1964, James proudly carried that legacy forward, leading one of our region's most successful family businesses. But James was far more than a successful businessman; he was a devoted husband to Pauline, a loving father to Georgia and James, a loyal son and friend and someone deeply committed to his staff, his family and his community.
I attended the beautiful funeral mass at St Agnes' Catholic Church on Monday with many hundreds of people from near and far who came to show their respect, support and friendship for James and the positive impact he had on so many lives. My thoughts are with James's wife, Pauline; his children, Georgia and James; his parents, Catherine and Jim; the extended Cassegrain family; and the entire Expressway Spares team.
James leaves behind an extraordinary legacy, and he will be greatly missed. I also want to draw attention to the outstanding work of Homebase Youth Services and its Strive for Success program. Recently, I met with local young people and Homebase Youth Services Tuncurry staff for a roundtable discussion to hear directly about the issues that concern them most.
We spoke about the need for a local youth activity centre, the challenges of gaining employment, youth safety and mental health care access. What struck me most was that, though it's tough sometimes to do so, these young people were looking for opportunities to grow and contribute to their community. That is exactly what the Strive for Success program provides.
The program works with young people aged 15 to 24, helping them overcome barriers to employment, build confidence, develop workplace skills and connect with jobs, apprenticeships, traineeships and further education. It provides practical support and mentoring not only to help young people find work but to keep work. Importantly, the program recognises that many young people face challenges beyond simply finding a job and provides the support they need to get back on track, even if it is just with getting a drivers licence.
Yet, despite its success, funding for the program is due to run out in August. At a time when governments speak about youth wellbeing, workforce participation and early intervention, it makes little sense to put at risk a program that is already delivering results for vulnerable young people in our community. I urge the government to work with Homebase Youth Services to provide certainty for the future of Strive for Success, because, when we invest in young people, we invest in the future of our region.