Wattle House—Maddington
Statement
Ms Colleen Egan (Thornlie) (12:51 pm): To continue the theme in a slightly different way, I rise on the last scheduled sitting day of the year to inform the house of a Christmas tale in my electorate—one that has a happy ending. I will explain. Each Friday, the good people at Mission Australia's Wattle House in Maddington, along with their volunteers, provide a nutritious barbecue for those in need. It is the best meal of the week and a chance to access homeless services and the food bank. It was at one of these barbecues that I learned that Mission Australia had lost its funding for its annual Christmas program, which includes food hampers and a big festive lunch at which children and teenagers receive presents. Christmas would be cancelled, and the staff were distraught. But then I had a chance meeting with CDC Data Centres, a company that is building a data storage facility in the Maddington industrial area. I informed CDC of Mission Australia's plight and asked if it could help. I am delighted to inform the house that, yesterday, the founder of CDC, Greg Boorer, wrote a cheque for $25,000 for the Christmas program to go ahead. Today, the staff and volunteers at Wattle House are overjoyed. They are planning to pack hampers and wrap presents. It is not a lot of money for CDC, but this act of philanthropy means so much. As the local member, I hope this is the first of many collaborations with successful businesses in the Maddington precinct to benefit that community. Merry Christmas to everyone in the Thornlie electorate, including those who are doing it tough this year, and especially to the many wonderful organisations and the kind staff and generous volunteers who support them.
