It takes special kind of person to sacrifice their own time, and energy to help another.

While they may not necessarily have the resources or effort to give, it is those who are of exceptional character who persevere and get the job done – even when there is no reward or often times recognition.

It’s this unique sense humility, duty, and compassion for others, that is rare and so worthy of celebration.

This is why I host the annual Bonner Volunteer Awards – to recognise some of the very best in our community.

We had over 60 nominations this year, our highest to date, and it was my difficult task to narrow down these to just 5 awardees!

Congratulations to all those who were nominated.

The quality of each of your stories is a testament to the community mindedness and dedication of so many….

Bonner locals are the Best!

In the Young Volunteer Category, Xavier Curry, of Mansfield State High School, took the win! Xavier sacrifices much of his time to working with organisations such as the Emmanual City Mission and Brisbane City Council’s Homeless Connect.

Thank you for your service, Xavier!

The Senior Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Gavin Gray, for his work with OzFish.

Gavin has helped construct and deploy 10,000 Robust Oyster Banks which now filter 1.2 million litres of water every hour… creating homes for 21 million new marine animals and addressing the need for more habitats and biodiversity in our bay.

The Adult Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Merryl Bennett, the registrar at the Wynnum Manly Junior Rugby League Club.

She is committed to ensuring all players are properly documented, so they can participate safely.

Last year the Club even offered Meryl a paid position, but she declined saying “use the money for the kids.”

Sailability Bayside took the win for Volunteer Group of the Year, for their work providing wheelchair bound people with the opportunity to set sail in two person dinghies!

Thanks to the dedication of the Sailaibility volunteers, many more people have been able to enjoy our beautiful bayside.

Finally, I presented the George Kambouris Memorial Award.

This special award recognises volunteers who have shown outstanding resilience, excellence, and compassion in providing support for others in Bonner.

George Kambouris was a Carindale local who, despite being born with spina bifida, dedicated his life to mentoring young, individuals and enabling them to participate in sports.

George made an immeasurable contribution to our local community and has left a long-lasting legacy.

I was proud to present the George Kambouris Memorial Award to Tom Price, Wilson Griffin, and Jacob Marchant on behalf of You Are Not Alone.

Congratulations to all those who were nominated and recognised!

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP and Ross Vasta MP are today launching the “My First Speech” Competition for local Bonner Electorate schools.

This national competition challenges students in years 10, 11 and 12 to envision themselves as newly elected Members of the House of Representatives and record a 90-second speech on video, focusing on a topic of their choosing.

Mr Vasta said “This is an exciting opportunity for our local Bonner students to shine a national spotlight on the issues that matter most to them.

“The students participating in this competition will be our local leaders of tomorrow, and I am excited to give them a head start on their futures with this program”.

The winning entrant from each year group, accompanied by a parent or guardian, will be flown to Canberra to deliver their speeches live at Parliament House and participate in an engaging program tailored to deepen their understanding of the legislative process.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP said “One of my key priorities as Speaker has been to promote parliamentary education to students across the country, and this is yet another exciting way that young people can take an active role in our democratic system.

“This competition will provide high school students with the chance learn more about the way our nation’s democracy works, and how actively engaging with the parliamentary process can draw attention to the issues that are most important to them.”

The submission deadline for the competition is set for 11.59pm AEST on 27 July 2024.

To learn more about the competition and submit their entries, students can visit the dedicated competition website: www.aph.gov.au/myfirstspeech.

For further information and inquiries regarding the “My First Speech” competition, please contact my office at ross.vasta.mp@aph.gov.au.

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