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Mr BARTLETT (Port Stephens) [12.36 p.m.]: It is often said that a week in politics is a long time, but some weeks are definitely better than others. I would like to talk about some wonderful things I did in the week beginning 9 September. I attended the twenty-fifth anniversary of Soldiers Point Lions Club, and on Saturday 13 September I attended the fiftieth anniversary of the Rotary Club of Raymond Terrace. As I was elected to Port Stephens Council in September 1983, there are many people in both the Lions Club of Soldiers Point and the Rotary Club of Raymond Terrace I regard as friends. We have worked with one another over the past 20 years. It is a credit to both service clubs that they have such a long involvement in their local communities.
The Chairman of the Soldiers Point Lions Club is a good friend of mine, David Sams. It was quite a pleasant coincidence that David's wife, Sue, is the daughter of the founding president of the Soldiers Point Lions Club, Reg Stokes. This Lions Club has had a profound effect on the Soldiers Point community over the past 25 years. Members whom I know well and have worked with are past presidents Brian Spurway from 1980 to 1981, Tony Otton from 1987 to 1989, Dick Logan from 1989 to 1990, Bruce Scott from 1990 to 1992, Rick "Radar" Townsend from 1993 to 1994, and Len Worgan from 1998 to 2000—to name just a few.
The Lions Club of Soldiers Point has provided fencing, retaining walls and covered walkways at Soldiers Point school; donated a substantial amount of money to the Save the Site Foundation, which all Lions Club members are involved in; put in tables and barbeque areas at Lions Park, which is a waterfront park; raised up to $19,000 a year for community activities from the trailer raffle it runs every year—money that goes back to the community; and, for five years, ran the Soldiers Point Carols by Candlelight. I congratulate it on its efforts to the Soldiers Point community over the past 25 years.
The fiftieth anniversary evening of the Raymond Terrace Rotary Club was under the chairmanship of my good friend President Kerrie O'Connor. Kerrie has been a member of the club for many years. On the night of Saturday 13 September it was reported at the ceremony that the charter had been given to Raymond Terrace Rotary Club on 8 September 1953. The meeting at which the charter was presented to the club was on 10 October 1953, which was just before the 1955 flood. Past president John Horn mentioned some of the things that had happened in the 1955 flood—in the lifetime of one of the members of the Rotary Club. He said that in the 1955 flood the Raymond Terrace area received financial assistance from other clubs in Australia. Raymond Terrace Rotary Club used wagons and provided labour to assist people.
The first meeting of the club was held at Raymond Terrace School of Arts. For six shillings a head one could obtain a three-course meal, but it came from Mayfield, which is some 25 kilometres away and, at the time, the fine was 3d. The event was very pleasant. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the club it became involved in another community project. It has been involved in many community projects, such as Raymond Terrace clock tower. It donated a $20,000 rotunda, which was built at Hunter Botanic Gardens—a marvellous effort for that club. Ray Beaumont received the Paul Harris Fellowship on the night. I congratulate Ray on that wonderful achievement. Service clubs deserve all the praise that they can get. [Time expired.]