ADJOURNMENT

Mr MONCRIEFF (Hughes) (19:55): The Yarrawarrah Tigers have been in the Cronulla-Sutherland junior rugby league competition since 1978, but had never fielded a senior team until this year. Sharks premiership-winning halfback Chad Townsend joined with Steward Mills and Jarrod Boyle to put a team together for this year. I think even they couldn't have imagined how much success they'd achieve in one season.

Winning a premiership is always a huge achievement, but to do so in your first season usually takes a miracle. A miracle is exactly what the Tigers achieved by defeating the Joeys 14 to 12 in the Cronulla A-grade grand final on 29 August. I was at Tigertown Wheatley Road a few weeks ago to watch them take on the Gymea Gorillas, and I have to commend the Tigers for the fantastic community atmosphere that has brought so many together.

Tigertown was absolutely packed out to watch the local teams play, and the corflutes have been lining Wheatley Road in support of them. Thank you to the team behind the scenes at the club, including Beth Barclay and Tyler Gibbons, and congratulations, Tigers, on the fairytale win. Thank you for your great representation of the western suburbs of the shire.

Dealing with adverse weather at a music festival can be a rite of passage for young Australians. On Saturday, Barden Ridge got a taste of that when it endured searing heat, strong wind, pouring rain and, finally, the cold. It was rewarded by being able to rock out to the Ridgeway Sunset Concert, a free community fundraiser held at Barden Ridge Oval.

The event brought together locals for live performances, food and family-friendly entertainment while raising funds to support the family of Hayden, a five-year-old boy who has been in intensive care. It featured live performances from stellar local acts, including Summerset, Menai band Marz, No Clue, Wilomence, Swerve, Volition, Brits and Pieces, Danae, Evie, Route 77, Emiliah, Melody Gray and Gnash.

It was great to meet many of these local music legends, including up-and-coming band Volition, from Engadine High School. Heavy drums, crunching basslines and face-melting guitars were marshalled for Muse classics that transported me back to my angsty teens. Thank you to Sheena for organising and to all the outstanding local performers who made this day special and such a success.

We wish Hayden all the very best with his treatment. The Zonta Club of Botany Bay does outstanding work in my community to support women through a range of initiatives. At their annual dinner, Zonta Botany Bay presented their woman achievement award and Zonta achievement award for a young Indigenous woman.

These awards recognise women in Southern Sydney who have made significant contributions to their community. Ashleigh Coates from Engadine High School was awarded local highly commended for young Indigenous woman, and I congratulate Ashleigh for that achievement. Through the young women in leadership award, Zonta also empowered high school girls to be leaders in the community.

Eve Skinner from Heathcote High School was a finalist in this and delivered a speech that demonstrated the incredible leadership that she's already showing to her community. A big congratulations to all the outstanding recipients of the year's awards and a big thank you to Zonta. Our community was devastated to hear of the passing of Australia's last surviving Kokoda veteran, Reg Chard OAM.

Reg enlisted in the Australian Army in 1942 at just 18 years of age. He went on to serve on the Kokoda campaign, one of the most defining moments of Australia's role in the Second World War. Reg spent many of his final years teaching school students about the Kokoda campaign, including those at Holsworthy High, with whom he formed a special connection.

I was honoured to join Holsworthy High students for his memorial service at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway last week. Australia will always owe an enormous debt to those who served at Kokoda, and we must continue Reg's work by keeping the memory of that service alive. Rest in Peace, Reg Chard.

Lest we forget. I want to wish athletes from the shire AcroGYM well as they head off to the world championships representing Australia in acrobatic gymnastics. AcroGYM is an acrobatic gymnastics club based in the Sutherland shire.

Ten outstanding athletes have been selected to represent Australia as part of the junior and senior Australian acrobatic gymnastics team at the world championships in Pesaro, Italy, this September. It was fantastic to meet with the athletes last week and see the routines that they have spent years working on for five nights a week. I congratulate them on their selection and wish them all the very best as they represent our community and our country on the world stage.

House adjourned at 20:00