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Speaker 1: Now joining us on the line and due to catch

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Speaker 1: up with us about the dal and volunteer Coast Guard

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Speaker 1: is the Federal member for Solomon. Luke Gosling. Good morning

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Speaker 1: to you, Luke, Good morning Katie. Look, before we get

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Speaker 1: into the Coast Guard discussion, I might just ask you,

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Speaker 1: obviously you've seen or heard this news that Alan Joyce

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Speaker 1: advising the board that he's going to bring ford his

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Speaker 1: retirement by two months to help the company accelerate its renewal.

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Speaker 1: You and I have spoken on numerous occasions about the

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Speaker 1: cost of flights and the impact for people living I

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Speaker 1: should say in Regional Australia, what do you make of

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Speaker 1: this announcement.

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Speaker 2: I think it's good news, but I think the board

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Speaker 2: probably suggested that it might be a good idea for

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Speaker 2: him to move on before he does any more damage

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Speaker 2: to the brand. I mean, your listeners would have seen

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Speaker 2: over the last few weeks, on the back of record

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Speaker 2: profits for the company and the incredibly high airfairs that

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Speaker 2: they're charging people from Regional Australia to stay connected to

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Speaker 2: then not even be wanting to look after people who

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Speaker 2: weren't able to use flights during COVID and then have

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Speaker 2: to backflip on that there was the bit of damage

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Speaker 2: being done to the brand. And I think it's great

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Speaker 2: news that he's moving on and I wish Vanessa all

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Speaker 2: the best.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, look, he was not, you know, to be really

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Speaker 1: blunt about it, he wasn't really a friend of Northern Australia.

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Speaker 2: I don't think.

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Speaker 1: Over at least the last couple of years, we feel

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Speaker 1: as though we've been getting jammed.

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Speaker 2: To put it politely, Yeah, we've been getting the rough

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Speaker 2: end of the stick for sure, and that's something I've

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Speaker 2: made clear to Quantis people continuously, and you know, particularly

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Speaker 2: as a foundation jurisdiction of the airline and so important

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Speaker 2: to our nation. I've had a look online this morning

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Speaker 2: and it's cost him seven hundred bucks if you need

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Speaker 2: to get down to our springs today, and territorians I

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Speaker 2: think will hopefully see some change now that there's going

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Speaker 2: to be some different leadership there and I'm sure the

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Speaker 2: Chief Minister and I certainly will be endeavoring to meet

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Speaker 2: with her as early as we can and just to

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Speaker 2: put forward our position. It should be clear to everyone,

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Speaker 2: but we're absolutely vital as the northern capital of Australia

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Speaker 2: to our relationship within with the regions of Australia and

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Speaker 2: into our Indo specific region and further abroad. So yeah,

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Speaker 2: hopefully better times ahead.

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Speaker 1: Look I hope. So, I mean, does the rest of

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Speaker 1: the federal Labor government agree, Like there's been a lot

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Speaker 1: of discussion about the decision to not allow Qatar Airways

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Speaker 1: to have additional flights. There's been a lot of discussion

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Speaker 1: about about different members of Parliament with the Chairman's Lounge

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Speaker 1: memberships and that kind of thing. I mean, is every

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Speaker 1: member of Labor here on the same page that QUANTUS

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Speaker 1: really needs to stay up and look after Australians, particularly

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Speaker 1: those living in regional Australia.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean people living in regional Australia representing regional

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Speaker 2: Australia electorates certainly are all of one voice, and that

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Speaker 2: is that Quannas hasn't been doing the best Buyas we know,

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Speaker 2: they wanted to recruit recoup some funding that was boss

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Speaker 2: during the pandemic, but also during the pandemic they were

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Speaker 2: supported by taxpayers enormous degree and it was just an

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Speaker 2: absolute wasted opportunity, missed opportunity and totally dodgy that the

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Speaker 2: former coalition government didn't get a share in Kunas for

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Speaker 2: the taxpayer during that period. But you know that done.

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Speaker 2: When it comes to Qatar. I mean, we've got a

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Speaker 2: lot of competition in Australia when it comes to our

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Speaker 2: airline to many many airlines servicing US, and Qatar is

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Speaker 2: able to put on more seats to come into the country.

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Speaker 2: They're able to do that now.

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Speaker 1: So I think so what they are able to now,

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Speaker 1: they are able to put on extra flights, because that

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Speaker 1: was like, that was something that was that was certainly

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Speaker 1: noted in the national media that they'd been they weren't

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Speaker 1: able to do what they were what they were pushing for,

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Speaker 1: and that realistically the federal government and indeed Quantas were

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Speaker 1: the ones that you know, Quantas had had stepped in

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Speaker 1: and said that they didn't you know, they didn't want

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Speaker 1: them to be able to have those additional flights.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, but obviously the federal government doesn't just listen to Quanas.

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Speaker 2: We want to do the right thing by Australians and

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Speaker 2: give them more options. But the options are with Qatar,

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Speaker 2: for example, to put on bigger planes that can carry

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Speaker 2: more people, so more seats that are available, but there's

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Speaker 2: also the restriction on the number of flights is just

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Speaker 2: for the major capitals, So the Kataria Ways is able

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Speaker 2: to put on more flights into other areas of Australia.

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Speaker 2: Cans for example, they can put on more flights into

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Speaker 2: the can but into the major capitals they can put

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Speaker 2: on more by using bigger planes. And there's going to

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Speaker 2: be more cafe specific quite coming into Australia as well,

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Speaker 2: So there's going to be more options for Australian than

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Speaker 2: Quanus does need competition lead they can't.

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Speaker 1: Let's move along because I do want to have a

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Speaker 1: chat to you about the Darwin Volunteer Coast Guard. It's

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Speaker 1: something that that I know is dear to the hearts

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Speaker 1: of so many Territorians and it's set to close following

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Speaker 1: a decision by the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard in July.

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Speaker 1: Now we caught up with the Darwin Volunteer Coast Guard

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Speaker 1: last week and they outlined the fact that the National

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Speaker 1: body had written to the Darwin flotilla notifying them of

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Speaker 1: the closure about two weeks ago, sparking concerns that well

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Speaker 1: that's you know, our ability on the water is going

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Speaker 1: to be significantly reduced and the ability to go out

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Speaker 1: and help people when they're in need. But it also

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Speaker 1: you know, we've got the Pete Davies that is out

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Speaker 1: on the water, a valuable, valuable asset to Territorians. Right now,

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Speaker 1: what is going to happen here.

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Speaker 2: Well, they've got a big meeting tomorrow and I know

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Speaker 2: that Paul. I'm down here in Canberra, but I know

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Speaker 2: that Paul Kirby's sitting in on that meeting, and that's

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Speaker 2: with the National Volunteer Coastguard MOM to work through these issues.

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Speaker 2: And really I hope we get to a position quickly

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Speaker 2: where the National want to see volunteer Coastguard services continue

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Speaker 2: in Darwin. We'll be sending that message to them very directly,

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Speaker 2: in very clear terms, but we need to make sure

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Speaker 2: that they're sustainable into the future. Now there's generous sponsors

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Speaker 2: like Impacts and others that have been helping them to

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Speaker 2: meet their operational needs, fuel, training, etc. But they really

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Speaker 2: haven't had their own home for some time. They've sort

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Speaker 2: of been in limbo and that's given the National mod

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Speaker 2: the opportunity to say to try and wind them up

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Speaker 2: and take their resource.

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Speaker 1: To me, this is garbage, you know, like to me,

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Speaker 1: this is absolute garbage. We've got a situation here as

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Speaker 1: I understand it, Please correct me if I'm wrong, where

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory government, the Federal government sponsors have all

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Speaker 1: funded the Volunteer Coast Guard at different times. You've got

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Speaker 1: Territorians who are volunteering their time to enable this to

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Speaker 1: happen day in and day out. They're giving up their time,

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Speaker 1: they're putting in an enormous effort, and now you've got

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Speaker 1: the national mob wanting to step in and take the assets.

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Speaker 1: To me, that is just absolute bullshit to put it bluntly.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, no good form of words, Katie, it certainly is.

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Speaker 2: But at the same time we've got to make sure

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Speaker 2: that they're sustainable into the future. So like any crisis,

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Speaker 2: we should see this as an opportunity to really wrap

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Speaker 2: our arms around the Volunteer Coastguard. From my perspective, for

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Speaker 2: some time, I've had two point five million dollars there

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Speaker 2: for a facility out of the Elizabeth River for Volunteer

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Speaker 2: Coast Guard to share. I think having a home is

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Speaker 2: really important for the Volunteer Coast Guard. We'll work through

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Speaker 2: the issues when it comes to setting up their governance

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Speaker 2: and finances for the future, but there are as you say,

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Speaker 2: great sponsors around supporters of the Volunteer Coast Guard that

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Speaker 2: wanted to continue. It absolutely must continue. There's no way

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Speaker 2: that a place like Darwin should not have a volunteer

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Speaker 2: Coast Guard. It just has to happen, and it will happen.

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Speaker 2: We'll get them back on their feet and we'll get

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Speaker 2: them clear in guided from all the stakeholders involved about

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Speaker 2: you know what people can contribute to them so that

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Speaker 2: their volunteers can connect with the Volunteer Coast Guard and

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Speaker 2: we can get the Pete Davies and their other vessel

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Speaker 2: add on the waters keeping territory and.

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Speaker 1: Say, well, Luke Gosling, let's talk again once that meeting

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Speaker 1: has happened and we'll do our best to stay up

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Speaker 1: to date with exactly what's going on. But we'll talk

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Speaker 1: to you again about that very so mate, we are

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Speaker 1: going to have to roll, but thanks so much for

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Speaker 1: your support on the weekend as well at run with Dad.

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Speaker 1: Good to see you and your young fella there, and

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Speaker 1: thanks so much for your time this morning.

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Speaker 2: Well done, Catie, ten years, incredible effort and well done

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Speaker 2: to everyone who supported, sponsored, came along and to those

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Speaker 2: who ran and walk. It's a great event for any

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Speaker 2: really important cause.

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Speaker 1: Well done, Thank you, Thanks Louke. I appreciate your time,