Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown—Minister for Women, Minister for Seniors, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault)— John Franks of Warners Bay is justifiably proud to see his beautiful story called 'The Melting Pot' featured in the latest edition of Seniors Stories.

The entry was John's first in the Seniors' Stories competition and he was inspired to enter by the topic, Celebrating Diversity. It is a theme John feels strongly about, and which arises again and again in his own writing.

The piece he contributed arose out a meeting of Lake Macquarie Library Memoir Writers Group, which John regularly attends at Speers Point library. John is a committed writer, a member of the Lake Macquarie branch of the NSW Fellowship of Australian writers, and is working on a novel. John has told me that this long-form work is also infused with the theme of diversity.

One hundred seniors across NSW put pen to paper and were published in the latest edition of Seniors' Stories, sharing their personal stories of diversity. Congratulations to John and to all the other authors who have been published in this edition of Seniors' Stories, and I wish him all the best with his novel. It is so fantastic to see the creativity of older people being celebrated and shared.

A Community Recognition Notice is an opportunity for an MP to submit a short statement praising the work of an individual or group in the local community. If you have any ideas about people I can recognise with a Community Recognition Notice, please email and let me know!