Mr ALISTER HENSKENS (Ku-ring-gai) (16:54:56): Abbotsleigh has been one of the outstanding schools in the Ku-ring-gai electorate since it relocated from North Sydney to Wahroonga in 1898. It has a strong history of academic performance, attaining an average ATAR of 93 in the 2017 Higher School Certificate, and it has a wide range of co-curricular programs, achieving excellence in sport, music and the performing arts. In April this year, six senior athletes from the school competed in the ISF World Schools Cross Country Championships in Paris, France. This was the first time Abbotsleigh had been the Australian representative at the championships, which are held every two years.

Under the expert coaching of James Fitzgerald, Hannah Cerezo, Rosie Fordham, Olivia Hogg, Annie Magnussen, Sarah McDermott and Abbey Rockliff performed above pre-race expectations and powered past 21 other participating countries to finish second behind Morocco. Further, all six girls placed in the top 50 out of the 150 athletes, with year 11 student Abbey winning the event. The result was the product of a great deal of hard work, and I congratulate the team on an outstanding result.