Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke received some special guests at Parliament House as students and staff from Coolamon Central School dropped by to see what goes on in Macquarie Street.
The group visited Ms Cooke on Wednesday and enjoyed lunch together, then had an opportunity to ask Ms Cooke some questions about her work before a tour of the Visitors’ Galleries and a chance to watch Question Time.
“It was such a privilege to be able to share what I do with such a fantastic group of students and staff,” Ms Cooke said.
“They had been to the Invictus Games on Tuesday and had had a wonderful day as part of the NSW Government Invictus Games Sydney 2018 Education Project, so it was great that they found the time to drop by and say hello.
“We had lunch together and they had so many questions for me – they asked about my job, about the NSW Government’s youth strategies and what work I had been involved in with Coolamon,” Ms Cooke said.
After lunch the group sat in the Visitors’ Galleries in the Legislative Assembly to witness Question Time. The Speaker, Shelley Hancock, welcomed the group before the session began.
Josh Celi, Head Teacher of Welfare, said the group enjoyed a confronting and an exciting trip to Sydney.
“It was an unbelievable experience at the Invictus Games, the students were confronted by the challenges which the participants faced physically and they were mesmerised by the dedication shown in competing,” he said.
Following the spectacle of the Invictus Games, the students were more restrained in their anticipation of a trip to Parliament House.
“At first they felt the trip would be a bit boring, but when we first entered the building and went through the security checks, and we went inside, the students got more interested.
“They were all looking forward to meeting Steph, and spent some time with her asking about her life and background, and about her work for the electorate.
“Then, when we went into the Legislative Assembly, they were all excited when the Speaker welcomed them into the chamber.
“We were only supposed to be there for 15 minutes or so, but it was a full-on Question Time and we stayed for the whole two hours.
“The kids just loved it!”
Ms Cooke spoke on a motion requesting the Opposition to guarantee where and how investment funding from the Snowy Hydro Scheme transfer would be spent, which resulted in animated scenes.
“Steph’s speech made the students feel connected because their local Member was fighting for the bush, and the students absolutely loved it,” Mr Celi said.
