I rise today to celebrate a remarkable young Novocastrian who is taking our city to the world stage. Nicholas Ridgeway, a talented 17-year-old dancer from Newcastle, has earned the opportunity to represent Australia at the World Dance Movement in Italy. This is an extraordinary achievement from a young person pursuing their passion. Nicholas's journey is one of dedication, discipline and courage. Like so many young people in our community, he has spent countless hours training, refining his craft and striving to be the very best he can be. And now that hard work has paid off-not just with personal success but with the chance to showcase Newcastle's creative talent on the international stage.
What stands out about Nicholas's story is not just the achievement itself but what it represents. It represents the strength of arts education in our public schools. And I want to give his school a big shout-out. The Hunter School of the Performing Arts, in Broadmeadow, is nurturing lots of new, emerging young talent in our region. It also represents the support of families, teachers and mentors who are involved in nurturing those young people and their talents going forward. And it represents a community that believes in backing young people to dream big. Nicholas is not just representing himself; he's representing Newcastle, and we are incredibly proud of him.
