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At the young age of 17 Paulini so impressed members of Parliament that she received a special mention in the NSW Hansard Report.
From the NSW Parliament Hansard Report, 12 April, 2000.
BANKSTOWN MILLENNIUM BUZZ
Page: 4603
Mr STEWART (Bankstown?Parliamentary Secretary) [5.40 p.m.]:
Last Thursday evening I attended, with the Minister for Education and Training, a spectacular local school-based event: the Bankstown Millennium Buzz. Without doubt this event was an absolute sensation. The Minister and I were extremely impressed with the performance. This spectacular was held at the magnificent Dunc Gray Olympic Velodrome, which is the site for the Olympic cycling sprint races. Bankstown has never witnessed a show of this magnitude. It was an absolute knockout from beginning to end. More than 4,000 students drawn from 71 local schools were involved in the production. The choreography and musical items were breathtaking. Indeed, everything was breathtaking. I am very proud of those who were involved in making this massive production the huge success it was. Performances were held over several nights and special matinee shows were presented for local students to attend.
In all, more than 12,000 spectators attended the Bankstown Millennium Buzz. To give the House an idea of how well this production was received in my local area, the proceeds of ticket sales on the first day amounted to more than $75,000. Without question, some of the individual student performers in this spectacular were outstanding by any standard. These young people clearly are the future stars.
There are too many to mention comprehensively but worthy of strong mention are performers like Pauline Curuenavuli, who was one of the main vocalists. Pauline was a student at Bankstown Girls High School. Until about a year or so ago she had never sung in her life. Now she probably has the opportunity to pursue a career as a professional singer. She certainly was noticed in the Buzz performance.
It would be remiss of me not to mention Laura O’Sullivan from Mount St Joseph Girls High School, who also gave an outstanding vocal performance. Laura happens to be my cousin, and without intending to show any bias, I must say I am proud of her contribution to this magnificent production.
The people behind the scenes deserve special mention also. They helped to make such a massive production magnificent, outstanding and workable. They included particularly Dianne Duff, the principal of Tower Street Public School, Panania, and Ian Millard, who is the principal of Revesby South Public School?both of them co-ordinated this massive event putting in hours of their free time over a 2?-year period to make it work?dance directors Michele Austin, Pat Dance-Wilson and Sandra Copeman; the musical team, Wendy Tierney, Jon Smith, Helen Pain, Marie Wilson, Michael Mae, Auzanne Gruchot, Brigitte Eiberger and Michael Rohanek; and the props team headed by Pat Ebsworth. The costumes were designed by Laurel Barannikow, who did a fantastic job. The stage management team was under the control of Jim Bennett and Peter Piaud. Of course, Bankstown City Council needs special mention. It put in a magnificent effort supporting this terrific event.
The council team comprising Chris Passanah, Kerry Sebio, Julie Hayes, Mandy Hall, Mick Moonen, Rodney Douglass, Teena Riley and Hayley Delicata were instrumental in making this event happen. Special mention should be made of Ian Stromborg, Mayor of Bankstown City Council, who put in a lot of time towards the presentation of this spectacular. He attended every performance and was proud of the Bankstown community that supported this initiative. The Bankstown Millennium Buzz was held in the East Hills electorate. I am sure the honourable member for East Hills, who is present in the Chamber, will talk also about this magnificent event. He put in a lot of time towards this show, consulting with local schools and teachers to make this the magnificent event it became. I commend also the many hundreds of community volunteers who were behind the project; they are too numerous to mention. This show was something to behold. More than 4,000 students took part and it was certainly a spectacular the likes of which Bankstown has never seen, held as it was on the eve of the Olympic Games.
The show was designed in co-ordination with the Olympic event to be held in Bankstown, which will have American officials as visitors to the city. Local teachers, support staff, parents and community workers must be congratulated on putting together this great show and on drawing together such immense talent from local school students in the Bankstown city area. The Bankstown Millennium Buzz spectacular did not end last week. This event has enhanced harmony within our community and given young people the sense of pride and purpose they deserve in the great city of Bankstown. I know such an event will have reciprocal flow-on effects throughout the community. It has provided cohesion in a community that is put under the spotlight by the media on many occasions for the wrong reasons; it is an area also that is made a stereotype for the wrong reasons. We have shown that we have the best in Bankstown, that we are here to stay and that we are proud of our community. Our children are the future. [Time expired]
Mr AQUILINA (Riverstone?Minister for Education and Training) [5.45 p.m.]:
I am delighted to join my colleague the honourable member for Bankstown in his enthusiastic applause for the outstanding work carried out in relation to the Bankstown Millennium Buzz. I anticipate that my colleague the honourable member for East Hills will also pay a similar tribute to the teachers, students and members of the Bankstown community who worked so hard together to produce this outstanding production, which I understand took three years in the making. As Minister for Education and Training I have many opportunities to view the work of students. I always take great pleasure and delight in doing so. On Thursday evening, the opening night, it was a pleasure for me to attend with the honourable member for Bankstown and view the outstanding work of thousands of young people and many hundreds of teachers who gave much of their time voluntarily to help young students produce such an outstanding Buzz.
“Buzz” is a very fitting word because the whole place was alive and buzzing with the enthusiastic enjoyment of so many young people. They were full of enthusiasm and anticipation in relation to what they were about to produce. I take this opportunity to place on record my appreciation, and indeed the appreciation of the whole of the Bankstown community, to the teachers?of both government and non-government schools?and the students and their parents for what was produced. I sincerely hope that it is not a one-off only, that there will be a repetition of it, because it has set a very high standard which should be emulated in future years. I appreciate only too well the enormous amount of hard work that goes into something like this. In recognition I will issue to all the schools that participated a certificate of appreciation, which I will be forwarding to them together with a letter of appreciation from me.
Speakers: Stewart, Mr Tony; Aquilina, Mr John.
Version: Corrected Copy NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard Article No.33 of 12/04/2000.
Speech Type: PRIV; Private Members Statements. This page last updated 27/10/2003.
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