Penny Lancaster has spent decades in the Wahroonga electorate contributing to the dance community by developing thousands of young dancers and teachers.

The Wahroonga electorate has a very vibrant Roman Catholic community, including many outstanding Catholic schools. I have had the pleasure to meet on many occasions the Roman Catholic Bishop responsible for my electorate, Anthony Randazzo, whom I have found from the deep conversations we have shared to be a very intelligent man.

I was very sad to hear of the recent passing of Ann O'Donovan, a long‑serving member of the Ku-ring-gai SES unit. Ann served in the SES for around 32 years in field operations, incident management and community engagement.

Recently I was kindly invited to St Ives to attend the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness [RYDA] program, which provides important road safety education. The program operates at different locations around New South Wales, other Australian States and New Zealand.

I frequently describe the schools in the Wahroonga electorate as educational powerhouses. I am delighted to share with the House that many of the schools in the Wahroonga electorate again performed exceptionally well in their 2025 HSC exams.

One in 20 children in Australia loses a parent or sibling before the age of 18. Coping with such a loss can be incredibly challenging, which is why organisations like A Friend's Place, formerly called the National Centre for Childhood Grief, are so important.

I recently awarded Imogen Connell a State Representative Award for her achievements at the 2025 Australian Junior Athletics Championships. Imogen competed in April in the under-13s discus and under-14s pole vault. She is not only skilled at discus and pole vault but also performs well at hammer throw, hurdles and shot-put.

I acknowledge the outstanding contributions of community organisations in my electorate of Wahroonga, with some receiving funding under the Community Building Partnership program. I wholeheartedly support initiatives that strengthen our communities and deliver real benefits to local people. This year's grants have funded a diverse range of projects that improve safety, enhance education, promote health and wellbeing, and foster inclusion in the Wahroonga electorate.

Glenn Bridgland of Turramurra recently received the 2025 Upper North Shore Senior Volunteer of the Year Award. Glenn is a volunteer pilot with Little Wings, an organisation that helps bring children from regional and rural New South Wales to major cities for specialist and life-saving medical treatment.

I celebrate our small businesses and raise an important issue for the small business community across New South Wales, including within the Wahroonga electorate. Last month was Small Business Month, which is all about celebrating and promoting our local small businesses and encouraging people to support their community by shopping at them.

A hundred years ago the world was experiencing the Roaring Twenties, when technology was much less advanced than today. Regular radio broadcasts were becoming more frequent. Cars were becoming more common, with horses and carts still dominating. World War II was still 14 years from commencing, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge had not yet been built.

A highlight of each year for me is when I host two high school leaders from each secondary school in the Wahroonga electorate for a tour and special dinner in the President's Dining Room at Parliament House here in Macquarie Street.

I recently met two inspiring young men who took part in the New South Wales Youth Parliament.

St Lucy's School was founded by the Dominican Sisters in 1938 in Homebush before moving in 1959 to Wahroonga, where it remains today.

I sadly inform the House of the recent passing of the much-loved Mrs Jo Harris, OAM. Jo was born in Killara, attended Ravenswood and went on to study design and costume at East Sydney Technical College.

Most, if not all, members of this house have spoken in their inaugural speech about the history of their local area and how it was settled and developed. It is very important to our identity to have knowledge of our local area and its history in order to pass that on to future generations.

I acknowledge the passing of, and pay tribute to, Stuart Clark, AM, AFSM—a remarkable member of our community. As will become apparent, the five minutes allotted to the delivery of a private member's statement is entirely inadequate to properly go into the detail of the many respects in which Stuart Clark contributed to our community.

I recently had the pleasure of presenting Joseph Kim from Westleigh with a State Representative Award in recognition of his achievement representing New South Wales at the 2024 School Sport Australia Swimming Championship. At 17 years of age, Joseph was part of the relay team that broke the 200-metre freestyle record at the recent CAS Swimming and Diving Championships.

I congratulate Helen Campbell on receiving a Pride of Workmanship award from the Rotary Club of Wahroonga. The award was given to Helen to recognise her personal commitment to her vocation.

Last week, more than 20,000 morning teas were held across the country, raising more than $6.5 million for the Cancer Council as part of Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. One of the most inspirational of those was the extraordinary effort of Amelia R, a year 6 student from class 6A at Thornleigh West Public School.

Despite imposing significant planning changes on the Wahroonga electorate and surrounding suburbs without community consultation or consideration, the Minns Labor Government refuses to invest in important local infrastructure. Worse still, the Minns Labor Government has tried to recover infrastructure funding that was already promised to the electorate by the former Coalition Government.

Debra Hargreaves was presented with the Health Services Award at the Rotary Club of Wahroonga awards night. The award recognises excellence in vocational service in the field of health services and is given to individuals who display pride of workmanship and personal commitment in their vocation.

The Wahroonga electorate continues to grow, and that comes as no surprise given that it has a fantastic community and is a great place to live, work and raise a family. With its strong sense of community, excellent schools and beautiful natural environment, surrounded by several national parks, our community continues to grow.

Today is the eightieth anniversary of the victory in Europe, ending that theatre of battle in the Second World War. On this day 80 years ago, my father was a 19‑year‑old, but not in Europe where he grew up and where he had been in the Dutch resistance.