90 second statement – Holden family

Mr PITT (Hinkler) (13:55): I rise to bring to the House’s attention the wonderful work of the Holden family from the Elliott Heads Surf Life Saving Club in my electorate of Hinkler. Bob and Shirley are life members of the club, and Craig and Freddo are their children who now have their own generation who are members of the surf lifesaving club as well. So three generations of the Holden family are in the Elliott Heads Surf Life Saving Club.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Bob and Shirley for their introduction to fundraising, because the first opportunity for me to learn as a young teenager around how it was done was at the Tattersalls Hotel in Bundaberg, selling meat raffles on a Saturday morning. Unbeknownst to me as a young teenage lifesaver, this was the only source of income for a surf club which supported up to 100 members. So $250 a week was about what they made, and at times that was all that there was. It is a wonderful effort by the family to be life members.

Their son Craig has gone on to be a local branch manager, a Wide Bay Capricorn branch manager, a Queensland surf lifesaver and is well known in surf lifesaving circles. I am sure they would like to get him to Brisbane into the state centre, but that does not seem like an opportunity. I congratulate the Holdens. They have been a substantial supporter of surf lifesaving in the region, they are wonderful members of the Elliott Heads Surf Life Saving Club and I thank them for the work they have done for our community.