Page 1605 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 31 March 2009
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two festivals that took place for the first time. I want to acknowledge both groups of organisers because they were tremendously successful events. I think they were helped by the weather on the weekend. Both are community initiatives that I think really added value to the life of this city over the weekend.
The first that I went to was the harvest festival, conducted by the environment centre at their facilities on the ANU campus near Lennox Crossing. I think this was a festival designed to celebrate the harvest season and promote local produce from the Canberra region, in particular. There was a great crowd there on Saturday, a range of providers of local natural produce, workshops on how to grow your own garden, how to compost—these kinds of things.
There was a great spirit there and, I think, a really valuable contribution to raising awareness about the enzymes of food and the values of growing produce locally. Sometimes I think just how much better things taste when they are grown locally. I think there was a good crowd there and I really hope this is the first of many years to come for the harvest festival.
The other event that I then attended was the Narrabundah community festival put on by the Old Narrabundah Community Council and Harmonie German Club. It was held at the Harmonie Club premises on Jerrabomberra Avenue. Again, I think it reflected a great community spirit in Canberra. Those two organisations, the Harmonie German Club and the Old Narrabundah Community Council, got together and worked to put on a festival for their own community, to promote a sense of community spirit and give a space for community organisations to show their wares, to raise awareness of their own programs and engage with the local community.
There was, again, a good turnout on Saturday, I think aided by the terrific weather. I think the organisers were pleased but were hopeful that it would be the first year of many years to come. Based on the success of Saturday, the feedback that I had from the people that I saw there at the festival, the good time that people seemed to be having and the range of activities on offer, I think it will be a festival that will continue on into future years as well.
I would like to finish by congratulating all of those community groups that made that effort to initiate both those festivals this weekend, for the first year. I think they were great initiatives and I look forward, hopefully, to going to both of them next year and having similarly good weather for their occurrence next year.
Death of Ms Margaret Spalding OAM
Death of Mr Theo Moulis
MR DOSZPOT (Brindabella) (4.12): I was not able to be in the chamber this morning for the motion of condolence for Ms Margaret Spalding OAM. I did attend the very emotional memorial service for Ms Spalding yesterday at the Southern Cross Club and would simply like to add my own recognition and understanding of and tribute to her enormous commitment and incredible service to the Canberra community and to Koomarri in particular.
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