May I firstly recognise the Barramattagul of the Dharug people as the traditional custodians of this land and acknowledge their sustainable culture that survived unchanged for thousands of years. And I also recognise the successive waves of migrants who have come to our great continent and, along with our Aboriginal Australians, helped to make Australia this great nation of ours.

Official acknowledgments:

Ms Julie Owens MP – Federal Member for Parramatta

Cr Tony Issa OAM – former Lord Mayor of Parramatta

The Ishak family and staff of the Alphabeta Childcare Centre

Parents and friends, boys and girls.

On behalf of the Right Worshipful, the Lord Mayor of Parramatta, Councillor Paul Garrard, I am delighted to be with you this afternoon to open the newly relocated Alphabeta Childcare Centre here at Wentworthville.

The Lord Mayor sends his sincere apologies for not being able to join us this afternoon, as he is attending his youngest daughter’s debutante’s ball. And we all know what a special occasion this is for fathers and daughters.

The Alphabeta Childcare Centre is a pillar of our community, with a proven commitment to the wellbeing of our children and families who have, over the years, become part of the wider Alphabeta family.

And just like a family – Alphabeta tenaciously looks after its own.

Many of you will be very familiar of the extraordinary efforts and sacrifices that the Alphabeta team went through to ensure the best interests of the children and families were protected throughout the recent relocation process.

The unwavering dedication demonstrated by Kay and her family, they fought to keep this childcare centre operating. This is a testimony to how much they value the trust placed in them by the families who are here today and our community.

That same spirit of duty is reflected in the way the Alphabeta team care for the children, who come here to learn and develop the early childhood and social skills, so essential for each child’s smooth transition to big school.

Now that Alphabeta has relocated to this wonderfully historic building, it is heart-warming to see that all the struggles and hard work have paid off.

In itself, this new Alphabeta home being an old saw mill and then later a produce store, and now a leading child care centre is also positively ironic and perhaps even prophetic. An old saw mill that produced the pieces of infrastructure that we use to build our human lives in terms of homes and buildings, and then a produce store that fed countless numbers of families as they grow big and strong. Now, as an Alphabeta child care centre, this place will continue its continuing prophecy of being an important cornerstone in the very lives of us all.

The special relationship that forms between a childcare centre and a child, is not something that can be taken for granted. It takes time to develop, and in a child’s formative years is an extremely invaluable service to our families and what makes us a proud and human community.

Once again, I thank Kay Ishak and her family for the incredible community spirit they have displayed.

And on behalf of the people of Parramatta, may I sincerely wish you all the very best for the future and for the sake of the lives and futures our very young Australians.

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