Thursday, 22 February 2024

Williamstown electorate sporting clubs

Melissa HORNE (Williamstown – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Local Government, Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Roads and Road Safety) (09:52): Today I rise to say that community spirit can be found in my local sporting clubs. There were a few events over the last couple of weeks, and let me name one of them. The third annual Williamstown Cricket Club Think Pink ladies luncheon saw more than 160 locals come together in support of BreastWest and the McGrath Foundation. This event has grown enormously from 31 people just three years ago. We had the pleasure of listening to Dr Chantel Thornton, who was once a trainee registrar at Williamstown Hospital and is now a surgeon specialising in preventative and surgical treatment of breast cancer. Congratulations to all involved in such a wonderful event.

On the same day, the Newport Rams Baseball Club held their heritage day, and they celebrated their history and the progress of the club. It was great to recognise the tireless efforts and the commitment of the newly inducted life members, Chris Bramwell and Dean Anglin, as well as six women’s and men’s senior games played across the day. But did you know that baseball is really alive and well in my electorate, with Altona being the home to the Melbourne Aces? It is the largest baseball stadium in Australia. This is where I found myself on Sunday, watching the Australian baseball team take on South Korean team the Hanwha Eagles. It came down to the final pitch of the game, but the Hanwha Eagles came back from two runs down to defeat Australia 5–3.