HANSARD EXTRACT
| Statements by Members: Hoxton Industries |
| 11 October 2006 |
Mr HAYES
(Werriwa) (9.36 a.m.)—Last
Friday evening my wife
Bernadette and I had the honour of attending the annual
ball of the Association of Maria SS delle Grazie and San Vittorio
Martire at the Conca D’oro Classic Lounge in Riverwood. The ball is
well attended by the local Italian community. The special guest and
guest speaker was
Morris Iemma, who spoke very passionately of his Italian roots and
of the impact of the Italian community, particularly in the
south-west of Sydney.
The Italian community has a proud history of
charitable works and has been extremely generous to various groups.
Last Friday night was no exception. The proceeds of this ball went
to Hoxton Industries at
Hoxton Park. For the benefit of members, Hoxton Industries is an
organisation that provides supported employment opportunities for
adults with mild to moderate intellectual or physical disabilities
throughout the
Liverpool,
Fairfield and Campbelltown areas. The company was started some 37
years ago by a group of parents and has grown to employ in excess of
100 people. As is the case in similar organisations throughout the
country, Hoxton Industries not only provides employment but also is
an important part of the social lives of people with mental or
physical disabilities. As I understand it, of those 100 people, a
good many have now been working with Hoxton Industries for over 30
years. The company prides itself on establishing an environment that
allows employees to reach their potential by achieving goals
throughout their working lives.
I would like to pay particular regard to the
President of Hoxton Industries,
Robin
Denswon, and the Vice President,
Paul
Thomas. Through their efforts and guiding the structure, they have
made a huge impact on the lives of people in my electorate. I also
thank everyone involved in organising the ball, particularly
President
Silvio
Marrapodi and his wife Maria, Treasurer Dominic Urinso and Secretary
Tina Furfuro. I would also like to mention the contributions of the
representative from the Calabria Association of Australia,
Pino
Sgambellone, as well as everyone else who took the opportunity to
contribute to making that night such a successful occasion which
raised a significant amount of funds for a very worthwhile
organisation. These funds will be spent on improving the working
lives and social structures of people in our region. (Time
expired)
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