PAUL ROGERS OAM

I'd like to share with the parliament the achievements of one of the recipients of the medal of the Order of Australia, Paul Rogers, who lives in the Hawkesbury. It's particularly pertinent this week because Paul is a committed Rotarian, and most of my dealings with him have been either in his capacity as secretary or president of the Rotary Club of Kurrajong North Richmond and then as assistant governor of Rotary District 9685. Just this weekend, Paul texted me a photo of inbound district exchange students at the district conference, who I'm lucky enough to be hosting in the parliament later this week. As a former Rotary exchange student, I can't wait to hear about their year so far in Australia

Paul's work for Rotary—and also supporting bushfire and flood victims, problem-solving community issues and fundraising for local causes—has been core to the community contribution that I've seen him make in the many years that I've known him. But of course, when you receive an OAM, we get to fill in a lot of gaps from the past, like his role at the Parramatta Community Justice Clinic, his position as a Hawkesbury councillor in the1990s, his volunteer roles at Hawkesbury Hospital, his directorship of our local Bendigo Bank, his membership of the Hawkesbury catchment management trust and his Scouting commitments. Like so many who receive these awards, it's based not just on one contribution to our community but on a multitude over very many years. There is much more that Paul has done, and it's an absolute delight to be able to acknowledge in this place his contribution to the Hawkesbury and wider community.