Parkwood Sharks Junior Rugby League Club
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Nov 14 2008
2008 >>

Mr LAWLOR (Southport—ALP) (10.46 pm):

I thank the member for Robina for all that advice he has given the government. In a spirit of bipartisanship I will give him some advice: pay your restaurant bills.

A couple of weeks ago I had the great pleasure of officially launching the upgrade of the Parkwood Sharks Junior Rugby League Club. I had not been to the club for some time. In fact, back in
the 1980s I was president of the Surfers Paradise Pirates Rugby League Club, which was based at the ground.

The wonderful facilities that are now available to the club are a credit to the president, Ronan Byrne, and his hardworking committee. The upgrade gave the club a fresh look that will benefit the 400
members and the wider community. In addition to Rugby League, other sports such as touch football and petanque are catered for.

The major part of the upgrade included the replacement and repairs to the roof over the change rooms, improved bathroom facilities, new tiles and the painting of the change rooms and the referees
room, which were made into more functional and accessible rooms. Peter Thomas, a licensed builder with training qualifications, trained and supervised 12 local workers for 14 weeks to help them sharpen their skills in tiling, landscaping, bricklaying, painting and general maintenance.

The project started in 2007, when the Labrador community space audit, funded by the Queensland government Community Renewal program, identified the need for further community facilities and a wider promotion of the existing recreational and sporting activities in the area. It is essential to provide facilities that encourage participation in sport, essentially among young people, given the growing number of issues relating to obesity. If children enjoy sport on a regular basis they are more likely to continue to participate in activities in the future with their family and friends.

The upgrade resulted from the strong partnership between four key partners. The Department of Housing’s Community Renewal program provided $151,000 to cover building materials and contract
work costs. The Department of Employment and Industrial Relations, through its Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative, contributed $156,000 to provide training work and experience in the construction and building trades to the 12 local residents. Careers Employment Australia under Ian Hall provided supervisors, mentors and qualified trainers for the management and efficient delivery of the project over 14 weeks. The Gold Coast City Council contributed $25,000 to put the finishing touches to the upgrade.

Since 1998, the state government, through its Community Renewal program, has invested more than $112 million around Queensland, including more than $4.5 million in the Gold Coast south area. I
congratulate all parties involved in this community project.

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