Cricket scorers at the Wynnum Manly District Cricket Club (WMDCC) will no longer be sitting in a sauna thanks to a $5000 Morrison Government Volunteer grant.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the club would upgrade the scorer’s room with new furniture, air conditioning and proper scoring devices to make volunteers much more comfortable.

“Cricket is a summer sport and during those hot Queensland days the volunteer cricket scorers often sit in a sweltering scorer’s room,” Mr Vasta said.

“Volunteers at WMDCC give many hours of their time to the club and in return for this commitment, the club wanted to make the time spent volunteering as comfortable as possible for them.

“Currently scorers use personal devices to score games in a hot room sitting on furniture in a state of disrepair, but thanks to a $5000 volunteer grant, that’s all about to change.”

Mr Vasta said while the work of volunteers was unpaid, their efforts did not go unrecognised.

“From fighting bushfires, delivering food to vulnerable Australians in isolation and helping out with the weekend sport, they are all local champions,” Mr Vasta said.

“Their contribution is vital to ensuring that we continue to support families, provide employment pathways for young people and strengthen community resilience.”

Nationally, volunteering has an estimated annual economic and social contribution of $290 billion.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP joined members and veterans of the Manly-Lota RSL Sub-Branch for the annual Vietnam Veterans Day Service to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.

Mr Vasta said today was about reflecting on the service and sacrifice of those who served during one of the longest military engagement of the 20^th Century, the Vietnam War.

“Across two decades between 1962 and 1975, almost 60,000 Australians served during the Vietnam War, sometimes fighting in extreme conditions, often with poor visibility,” Mr Vasta said.

“Each year on Vietnam Veterans’ Day, Australia remembers all those who served in the Vietnam War, including the more than 500 Australians who lost their lives.”Mr Vasta said the service was a private occasion with invited guests only to keep in line with COVID-19 restrictions.

“However, while the wider community could not be part of it, I know they were with us in spirit,” Mr Vasta said.

“Even with our younger generation with the bugle player Lewis Campbell joining us from Moreton Bay Boy’s College to deliver The Last Post.”

Mr Vasta said the Battle of Long Tan on the 18^th of August 1966, was one of the fiercest battles fought by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War, and saw 18 Australians killed and 25 wounded.

“Today we also acknowledge and honour the Vietnam veterans who have lost their lives in the years since they returned and those who still carry the physical and emotional scars of their service and the families that have supported them.”

The Australian War Memorial will hold a Last Post Ceremony at 4:55pm AEST today, 18 August 2020, to commemorate Vietnam Veterans’ Day and the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan.

To find out more about Vietnam Veterans’ Day, the Vietnam War and the Battle of Long Tan, please visit the Anzac Portal website.