Tuesday, 3 October 2023

Cerebral Palsy Education Centre

Matthew BACH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:45): It was a couple of weeks ago now that I had a fabulous time at the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre in Glen Waverley, where it was good to also welcome the Labor lower house member Mr Mullahy and also the then Deputy Premier, now Premier. We were all there because we wanted to attend the official opening of a new bike path and bike shed facilities. This new bike path and the new shed at the centre are importantly dedicated to the memories of Rhys Linden and also his dear friend James Pike, who both sadly passed away back in 2020. It was a particularly moving ceremony because we heard from Rhys’s mother, who spoke really fondly of her son’s time at CPEC, the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre, and how he truly loved to ride with his friends, the impact that it had on his wellbeing to be able to do so and her hopes, then, also that so many other people – and CPEC caters to people who range from a very young age all the way through to 65 – would have those same sorts of opportunities. This was able to come about because of a really important collaboration, so I want to thank the generosity of the Pike family, the wider CPEC community, the successful Run for Rhys event and furthermore the government for some funding as well. Thus I want to thank and congratulate all those involved and give a special shout-out to the longstanding CEO of CPEC, Claire.