I also took the opportunity to recognise local community heroes through the Moreton Australia Day awards. I want to mention each and every one of them because they are the people who give so much of their time and energy to help make Brisbane’s southside great. They are: Robin Blackson from Yeronga Op Shop; Sacha Pace, Life Church, Salisbury; Senayt Mebrahtu, Abyssinian Dance Group; Roy Rickuss, Holland Park 3 Neighbourhood Watch; Kerry Cody, Yeronga District Residents Association; Graham Ross, Stephens RSL Sub Branch and Greenslopes Private Hospital; Mary Albury, disability advocate from Moorooka; Brian McCarthy, Coopers Plains Neighbourhood Watch; Tracey Everett, Upper Mount Gravatt Neighbourhood Watch No. 10; Annette Forrest, Montrose Access; Robert Wilshire, Sherwood AFL club; Beryl Smith, Sunnybank Private Hospital; Anthony Clifford, Clifton Hill Scout Group; Peter Hume, Clifton Hill Scout Group; Aileen Kelly, St Sebastian’s Parish, Yeronga; Christine Liu, Taiwan Women’s League of Queensland; Even Chang, Buddha’s Light International Association of Queensland; Beverley Drysdale, Calamvale Lions Club; Cheryl Riding, Runcorn State School Amateur Swimming Club; Diane George, Waltzing Matilda Disability Bowling League; Dorothy Rowell, Sunnybank Red Cross; Edmond Lau, Lions Club of Brisbane Chinese; Jan Kennedy, Tennyson Resident’s Association; Katie Rowley, Stretton State College; Kushla Sahai, Indian Senior Citizen Association; Lola Brewer, Sherwood/Indooroopilly RSL Sub Branch; Lewis Lee, Lions Club of Brisbane Chinese; Xue Li, Queensland Chinese Forum; Mary Pahl, Sunnybank Private Hospital; Peter Huang, the Yong Foundation; David Yohan, support for refugees, Runcorn who is also a Comcar driver incidentally; Mikaela Shorter, Romanian children’s hospital; Betty Milosevic, a community volunteer.

I do want to make special mention of Liane and Glen Woodcroft, the winners of the Sir James Killen Award for Outstanding Community Service. Liane and Glen are the kind of people you want living in your neighbourhood. They have lived in Moorooka for more than 50 years, and together help and support those who are less fortunate. Through St Vincent de Paul they regularly distribute food parcels and vouchers and also repair and donate bikes to needy children.

Lady Benise Killen was kind enough to turn up on the day and help present the awards in honour of her late husband and the former Liberal member for Moreton, Sir James Killen. He was a member who was well loved throughout the electorate. Finally, I would also like to thank the organisers for the day, Councillor Steve Griffiths, the ward councillor for Moorooka, and the Moorooka Lions Club, which put on a great barbecue and ceremony. There was also Simon Finn, the member for Yeerongpilly. They organised a great Australia Day celebration at Pegg’s Park in Moorooka. I look forward to the same calibre of volunteers coming out of the woodwork for next year.