What a day Principal Vicki Sparks and the Mossman State School enjoyed yesterday when Hon Warren Entsch MP for Leichardt came to the school to present Super Site Awards to site co-ordinators Bronson Ryan and Elizabeth Ryan for their participation  in Australian Sports Commission's 'Active After School Communities' AASC programme. 

And on top of that accolade, Mr Enstch then presented two special awards to Zara and Lauren Ryan for their selection to the Australian Indigenous Netball Squad which is taking part in the Oceania Tournament in New Zealand from May 22nd to 1st June this year.

After collecting his own award Bronson Ryan, father of Zara and Lauren with mum, Helenia, couldn't contain their pride at their two daughters achievements.  Mr Ryan said, 'It's a fantastic acheivement to be selected for you country but now the hard work starts.  We have to raise the money to make sure the girls can go on the tour." 

He said that the local community were already stepping up with the Mossman Bowls club and The Green Room on Front Street hair salon in Mossman were already helping with the fund raising.  Bronson said "There will be plenty of fundraising activities in the near future and we need all the support we can get to make sure the girls can go on this amazing trip to represent their country".

Marty Long the co-ordinator for the Active After Schools Commission, who is based at Barlow Park, but travels all over Queensland said that he was very proud to see such amazing results from their varied sports programme.  This ground breaking government initiative provides primary school-aged children with a free introduction to over 70 different sports and 20 other structured physical activities. 

The programme is designed to engage traditionally non-active children, or those not involved in mainstream sport.  Since 2005, nearly 400,000 children have participated and over half a million sessions have been delivered around Australia. 

Currently 190,000 children are particpating in the programme, which is run in up to 3,270 schools and after school care centres in every state in Australia. And Mr Long was very proud of the fact that the Ryan sisters, who had been part of the programme, were now going to play for the indigenous Australian Netball team. "It shows what can be achieved through thes programme" he said.

Mr Long also said that the Port Douglas State School was joining the programme now they had the new cyclone shelter facilities.

Mr Entsch summed up after presenting the awards by inviting all the attending students, some of whom were not even born when the AASC programme was launched back in 2005, to take advantage of the sports and activities programmes available and he'd be delighted to come back as often as they liked to present their awards too.