Mr CHRIS HARTCHER: I have had a long and rewarding association with the Gosford East Public School since I was elected to Parliament in 1988 and it gives me great pleasure to outline the latest developments at the school. The school is located on the shores of Brisbane Water and has an enrolment of around 340 students in kindergarten to year 6. Local Lions and Lioness Club members have recently completed a major community service project—a Rehabilitation Activity Centre for Children with Disabilities at the school. The project was initiated by the Lioness Club of East Gosford and, with the assistance of the East Gosford Lions Club, it became a Lions Zone project once its magnitude was determined. After discussions with staff members of the school, a wish list budget was established. A compromise design was agreed on and the budget was set at $183,000.

The project was funded by the following grants: $62,000 from the Lions Club International Foundation, $52,200 from the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation, $15,000 from the Australian Lions Foundation, $10,000 from the Central Coast Kids in Need, $9,000 from the local Freemasons, $6,820 from the Central Coast Children's Fund, $3,500 from the New South Wales Cancer Council and $500 from Woolworths. Local Lions and Lioness clubs conducted a number of fundraising activities and contributed the balance. Gosford East Public School has a long history of meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities. In June 1977 a special support unit for children with physical disabilities was opened. This regional resource was a joint venture of the Department of Education and the Department of Health.

Initially, there were 17 enrolments from preschool to primary school, placed in two classes. These classes were in addition to the Support Unit [IM] for students with mild intellectual delay, which already existed at the school, and a class for students with sight and hearing impairment. The new unit was designed to bring students with special physical needs into the mainstream of ordinary school life. The cooperative team effort of school and health staff enabled the school to achieve that goal. Today there are 43 students with special needs enrolled at the school. Of those 43 students, 14 use wheelchairs or walking frames, 18 are in the IM class and 11 are in the general classes. The students are involved in staged and whole-school inclusive activities.

Support Unit students are aged from 4 to 12 years. They live on the Central Coast, have a major physical disability and are able to access the mainstream curriculum, but they require therapy, health or educational support and services. Special consideration placement may be approved for children with severe medical conditions requiring high-level support and services. The objective of the project is to provide an equal access rehabilitation activity centre to enable special needs children to gain a physical benefit from play-based activities and to provide interaction with the general school population in the play environment. Her Excellency the Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce, AC, will officially open the Rehabilitation Activity Centre for Children with Disabilities at Gosford East Public School on 27 October.

The new centre will enable children with mobility and learning difficulties to participate in motivating activities, which develop motor planning skills and body strength in a play environment. I trust that both current and future students at the school will obtain many years of pleasure and help from this wonderful project. I take this opportunity to congratulate the staff at Gosford East Public School, the parents and citizens, Lions and Lioness clubs on both their initiative and their drive to complete the project. I also acknowledge the excellent relationship I have had over many years with the principals and staff of the school. They are wonderful people who do a great job in looking after children who suffer from disabilities and integrating them into mainstream education.

When I visit the school it is wonderful to see how the children are looked after, the dedication of the staff and the way the other students relate to and accept them as children who have a problem but as children nonetheless with whom they play and interact. It is great grounding in accepting that we live in a society with people who have a disability and that they deserve both our support and our respect. Gosford East Public School is a wonderful school, and I commend this project and the Lions and Lioness clubs.

ACTING-SPEAKER (Mr Thomas George): I thank the member for Terrigal for bringing such a wonderful story to the attention of members. I add my congratulations to all the organisations, the parents and students involved at the school. It gives me great pleasure, as president of the New South Wales Parliamentary Lions Club, to hear such stories. I note that the member for Macquarie Fields is also a member of the Parliamentary Lions Club. It is good to know that Lions, in true fashion, are doing a tremendous job, especially in Terrigal.