CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Mr McCORMACK (Riverina) (16:48): It was a massive day in the Riverina on Saturday. The 160th Wagga Wagga Show was held, and about 11,000 people flocked to be part of the fun. Zara Hiscock, 21, was named young woman of the show, and Jackie Millward's 50 years of volunteering was appropriately rewarded with life membership.
I want to give a special shout-out to President Robert Hamilton and his hardworking volunteer committee, Gaven Livermore and Bruce Ryan, and younger people such as Lucy Goodyer and Will Day make the show what it is now. I then ventured to Narrandera Sportsground, where the ground was encircled five deep with cars for the grand final of the Riverina Football League.
The Coolamon Rovers won a premiership. It's the Riverina's oldest continuous club. It was founded in 1894.
They've never won back-to-back premierships. Next year may well be the year. But, for Coach Gavin McMahon and his team, what a performance.
They defeated Turvey Park by a record margin for them of 44 points. I want to give a shout-out to the Coolamon Auskick program. Brothers Joshua and Ryan Allen, Nick Buchanan, Lawson Buchegger, Braeden Glyde, Mitchell King, Cooper McKelvie, Archie Perrot and Nick Pleming all came up from the littlies and played in that senior success.
Honestly, the entire community of Coolamon was at Narrandera to watch this great grand final. They've now won 13 premierships, four of them against Turvey Park of the 33 grand finals that the hoppers have contested since 1894. I was back at Wagga Wagga that night at the Riverside precinct for the Relay For Life, the 24th annual event.
Dallas Tout and Alan Pottie head up a wonderful volunteer community raising hope and awareness and funds for research into cancer. Many survivors walked the precinct. So many were there in the spirit of loved ones lost but members of the community also turned up and showed their support, and they raised $70,000.
That is an incredible effort. Next year, of course, they're commemorating 25 years but it is a celebration. It is a celebration of hope.
It is a celebration of survival. The maroon and gold that they wear really jumps out at you. It stands out for those people who do so much for our community, for this campaign against the insidious scourge of cancer.
So well done to Relay For Life, the Wagga show and the Coolamon Rovers.