Penny Lancaster
Mr ALISTER HENSKENS (Wahroonga) (19:40): Penny Lancaster has spent decades in the Wahroonga electorate contributing to the dance community by developing thousands of young dancers and teachers. Penny trained nationally and internationally as a former professional dancer in classical ballet. She performed with the Young Australian Ballet Company, and worked with the Australian National Theatre and international collaborations. Penny's work began at the grassroots level in Sydney with the youth company Ballet d'Action, where she gave young dancers a taste of professional production values and working with professional choreographers. Penny founded Australian Dance Vision [ADV] in 1989 where she helped establish the Australian Dance Institute. Under Penny's leadership, ADV produced the first suite of nationally recognised vocational dance qualifications, aligned syllabi with national training standards and achieved key accreditations and HSC endorsement for Certificate III in Dance Performance Studies. I congratulate Penny on her decades of service to the dance community and I wish her all the best in her retirement.