Mr FERGUSON (Bass) – Honourable Speaker, I’m pleased tonight to rise, with a great deal of pride and gratitude, to acknowledge and reflect on the inaugural Dorset People and Business Awards, an event I attended last month. I was so pleased to be there. It was an absolutely brilliant opportunity to recognise the wonderful people, the vibrant enterprises, and the generous organisations that contribute so much to the strength and character of Tasmania’s glorious north-east.
At this point, I particularly acknowledge from Dorset Employment Connect the team of Kate Brill, Ashlyn Arnold, Zoe Lewis, and Daisy Arnold. They’re great people and they’re running a great outfit out there and doing a great job connecting jobs, people and businesses together with training opportunities. Also, the long standing North East Tasmania Chamber of Commerce do a fine job. They have a great committee led by Fiona Auton, and I think a former chair, Maria Branch, as well wonderful people. These two organisations have teamed up to establish these new awards to celebrate excellence across the wide range of industries and community functions in Dorset and across the north east. What they’ve been able to achieve is to have shone a light on the effort, the quiet perseverance in that community, the innovation and the commitment that local employers and enterprises are bringing to industry and community life in north east Tasmania. A very proud community in one sense, but also equally as humble, they’re not out there for accolades. That’s why I think these awards are playing such an important role in recognising and uncovering the effort and passion that’s out there, which deserves to be acknowledged.
I also want to congratulate – she won’t want me to say it, but I will – Ally Mercer, who’s also Citizen of the Year out there. She runs the Mechanics’ Institute Hall and does a wonderful job, has done so for many years. They put on a wonderful function for the community. It was just marvellous.
In that time that I’ve had, I acknowledge those people, congratulate them all and acknowledge the pride. I know that that event is going to go from strength to strength as we continue to uncover the talent, passion and generosity of the fine people of the north east of Tasmania.
