Excerpt's of Ryan Kemps's Australia Day address
to Pearl Beach residents and visitor's...

I wish to honour the past by acknowledging the Gooringuy (Guringai) people who are the traditional owners of this land. I also acknowledge my own forebears, the MacFarlanes - from Scottish stock who’s labour, child-rearing and service helped my family grow up peacefully and securely.

You may know me as the blond-headed kid in Carnelian, but I'm more than that.

My name is Ryan Kemp and I am a fourth generation Pearl Beach-ite. I am the eldest in my family and I have one brother, Alex, and two sisters, Lenae and Chloe. I belong to the Umina Surf Life Saving Club, I play football for Umina and I am a member of the Hunter Swim Team.

My family have been active community members in Pearl Beach since the 1930s. The children of many families who enjoyed living here with my grandparents are still neighbours today - the Grundys, Jobsons, Emerys, Taylors. Edwards, Gibbons. Brennans, Owens, Ridges and Ashdowns. My mum and dad, Liz and Allan, attended local schools. My dad is a builder and my mum probably cuts your hair. I am a proud member of the Pearl Beach community and a proud Australian.

We have recently been reminded that our environment is fragile, harsh, extreme, lush and beautiful. Pearl Beach has a vast number of fauna and flora. The brush turkey (,a Pearl Beach icon) feels free to cruise the streets safely. That doesn't just happen. It comes from the hard work of the residents.

Our Australian way of life didn't just happen. It came from the hard work of Australians past and present. All kinds of Australian people, those who are indigenous and those from many lands -the life savers on the beach and the farmers in the bush; sporting heroes, artists and visionaries; the volunteers who dedicate their lives to others; with a spirit of pulling together in hard times and achieving great things. This is our Australia. We live in a country where there is always a helping hand within our reach. I would like to recognise a local hero. Mike Rozier, a St John's Ambulance First Aid Volunteer. He died at Woy Woy, on the first of January this year (2006) while supporting victims of the bushfire. We value and appreciate this community spirit. We send our sympathy to his family and friends.

Australia has unique indigenous cultures, history and customs, their rich spirit, their knowledge, art and history. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are the core of Australia's identity and culture. We are lucky enough to have Madeleine Anderson, an Aboriginal artist from the Northern Territory living in our small community at Pearl Beach. We celebrate our similarities and differences. But one thing that makes us unique is the fact that we are perhaps the most multicultural country in the world. We value what other cultures bring to our nation. I value the fact that I have learnt so much from my friends, who are of different nationalities.

Our country can be described as the meeting place for communities of the Earth'. Australians enjoy freedom and democracy. We have a society built on rights and responsibilities. Freedom to say what we think. We select our governments. We respect each other's rights and we treat people fairly We believe education is for everyone. A nation that learns will grow, solve problems, invent and create. All of these values are reflected in the Pearl Beach community. As a kid who lives here I have been able to benefit from the hard work of this community. I would like to thank on behalf of all the young people at Pearl Beach, the fine work of the Pearl Beach Progress Association, the Bushfire Brigade, the Dune and Bush Carers and Pearl Beach Playgroup, The people who volunteer their time to organise days such as this and look after our facilities. The fund raisers who raise money for overseas communities so that they have access to basic human needs such as water. The residents and visitors who walk along the beach and pick up litter, care for a stray dog or an injured bird. The neighbour's that care for and support each other when someone is sick or needs help. Also the people that sponsor me and my friend's in school fund raiser's. I am young and I need time and space to grow. I have made mistakes and I apologise to anyone that I may have offended. I am also someone who will help and support my family, friends and neighbours when they are in need; I love Pearl Beach and I am committed to making sure that this environment and community continues into the future. I want the fifth generation of MacFarlanes and future residents to have the same opportunities and experiences that I enjoy. I can live here and know that I am safe.

The young people of today are important. I have goals for my future. I would like to become a mechanic and 1 will try to be a committed community member as well as a volunteer member in the fire brigade. As we gather on beaches and in parks today, we should remember the efforts of people in the past. But we need to support young people as they are our future. We should help them to secure our wonderful way of life.

I guess being an Australian living in Pearl Beach makes me one of the luckiest kids in the world. I can honestly say this from the bottom of my heart, It's been a pleasure talking to you today.

(Excerpt from Australia Day Speech- 26January, 2006)