On Friday evening I attended the Bill Bullard Charity event at the Revesby Workers Club. During the night a number of cheques were presented to various charitable causes including Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, Creating Links Cooperative and the Melanoma Institute. I was really pleased that Bankstown City Aged Care also received a sizeable donation which when coupled with the money raised from the Mayoral Charity Dinner will allow them to purchase the bus for the Betty Sussman Dementia Day Care Centre. I commend Dennis Hayward, President of the Bill Bullard Charity Committee and the Revesby Workers Club for their extremely generous donations. Daryl Melham MP and Councillors Linda Downey and Ian Stromborg were also in attendance.
On Saturday morning I had the pleasure of opening the Panania Village Festival. It was great to see so many residents coming out to enjoy the festivities which also showcased the local businesses and what they have to offer. Council was the major sponsor of this community event and will soon be upgrading the Panania Town Centre. Councillors Linda Downey, Glenn Brookes MP and Glen Waud along with Daryl Melham MP, Craig Kelly MP and Tony Abbott MP were amongst those enjoying the day.
Later that morning I also attended a CD launch and luncheon hosted by the Chinese Parents Association -Children with Disabilities Inc. During the event I was pleased to acknowledge the important work this organisation does in providing a range of valuable support services for children with a disability and their families. The CD which was launched on the day was titled Set Me Free and was a wonderful celebration of the talents 18 youth members of the organisation who had worked tirelessly to make their dream a reality. Tania Mihailuk MP, Deputy Mayor of Canterbury Bill Kritharas and Mayor of Hurstville Philip Sansom were amongst the guests. Thank you to CPA President Elly Li and Board Members for the invitation.
The 10th annual Bankstown City Cup was held at the Greyhound Social Club on Saturday afternoon. The event is one of the feature events of the year and I had the honour of presenting the trophy to the winning greyhound Romba and trainer Kylie McDonald. Daryl Melham MP, Tania Mihailuk MP and Councillors Linda Downey, Alex Kuskoff and Ian Stromborg were also there enjoying the racing. My thanks to Tom Green and Robert Fletcher of the Greyhound Social Club for their hospitality.
Later that night I attended the 25th anniversary celebrations of KUD Vardar Bankstown, the Macedonian Folk Dancing Group. It was an entertaining evening and a wonderful display of the Macedonian culture. Celebrations were led by President of the Macedonian Cultural Artistic Association Mr Tanas Germanoski. Tania Mihailuk MP and Councillor Alex Kuskoff were amongst the guests.
On Sunday I spoke at a special service hosted by the Bankstown Uniting Church. The 'Uniting for Peace Ceremony' brought together members of the church congregation and the broader community to reflect on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York City. This was an important commemoration and I thank Rev. Neil Smith for the invitation.
Last week I attended the official opening of Rissalah College's new premises at Lakemba. Federal Minister Tony Burke MP and Premier Barry O'Farrell were amongst the dignitaries. Thank you to Principal Ali Roude OAM for the invitation. These new premises will ensure the school have the necessary facilities for their students for years to come.
Thank you to Deputy Mayor Allan Winterbottom for representing me on Friday at a Suicide Prevention and Awareness Seminar hosted by Keneally's Funerals.
Councillor Allan Winterbottom also represented me on Sunday at the Bowl Bare Foot for Child Protection Week. The fundraising event was an initiative of the Child Protection Foundation.