We were honoured to have Premier Kristina Keneally MP visit Bankstown on Monday for the official opening of Custom Coaches. The company have been building buses for the Australian Bus & Coach Industry for over 50 years and have recently relocated to Villawood. This will be a big boost for our local economy. I was pleased to attend the function along with Council's General Manager Luke Nicholls.

Tomorrow, Thursday 27 May, is the official date of the Cancer Council's Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea. This annual fundraising event raises vital funds for cancer research, education and support services. The Bankstown Cancer Women's Support Group will be hosting a morning tea at Bankstown Library from 9.30am. Entry is by way of a donation and all residents are welcome to attend and support this worthy cause. Last week a similar morning tea was held at the library and I was pleased to go along and support the Bankstown Cancer Women's Support Group fundraising efforts.

On Saturday Councillor Alex Kuskoff and I attended the official commencement of celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of Vietnamese settlement in Australia. During the proceedings I paid tribute to the courageous flight of Vietnamese following the fall of Saigon and acknowledged the significant contribution that Vietnamese-Australians have made to our city. My congratulations to the NSW Chapter of the Vietnamese Community in Australia in organising such a successful event. The presence of so many official guests highlighted the significance of the occasion for our community. Dignitaries included Thanh Nguyen (President of the NSW Chapter of the VCA), Hien Le, Phong Nguyen (VCA President), Jason Clare MP, Minister Barbara Perry MP and Fairfield Mayor Nick Lalich MP.

On Sunday I joined with members of the Huyen Quang Pagoda to celebrate the Buddhist festival of Vesak, which marks the birth of the Buddha. I thank the Buddhist Monks and the congregation for their hospitality.

Last week was Gambling Awareness Week and on Wednesday I called into a luncheon hosted by the Italian Yagoona Bocce Group to raise community awareness of problem gambling. Thank you to the Bocce Group for their hospitality.

The achievements of our business community were celebrated last Wednesday night at the 2010 Bankstown Local Business Awards. During the evening I had the opportunity to present awards in a number of categories and acknowledge the significant contribution small business makes to our local economy. The awards evening was also attended by Councillors Linda Downey and Alex Kuskoff. Congratulations to all the award winners and finalists.

Thank you to Deputy Mayor Khal Asfour for representing me last week and officially opening the MSA’s Interview & Resume Writing Skills Workshop for students.

Thank you to Clr Linda Downey for representing me on Friday night at a dinner hosted by the Canterbury Bankstown Tennis Association.