COMMUNITY volunteers in Forde were recognised for their hard work by Tony Abbott on Wednesday when he visited the electorate for the first time since becoming prime minister.
About 70 people from various groups, including the Park Ridge Pirates, Beenleigh Red Cross, Beenleigh Quota Club and Twin Rivers Lions Club, had afternoon tea with Mr Abbott and Forde MP Bert van Manen at Tudor Park PCYC at Loganholme.
The volunteers had the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister and have their photo taken with him and Mr van Manen during the event.
The afternoon tea was part of a flying one-day visit by Mr Abbott, in which he also met with Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston to discuss her organisation's support for the government's planned data retention bill.
Many would be forgiven for thinking Mr Abbott's visit came on the back of his party's recent leadership turmoil and the need to try and appear more consultative, however in speaking at the afternoon tea Mr van Manen said it was developed after a discussion with the prime minister about a month ago.
"This is the first of a series of community forums I'm going to be doing around the electorate over the next 12 months and when I mentioned it to the prime minister he jumped at the chance to come along," he said.
Mr Abbott thanked the volunteers at the morning tea for the invaluable work they carried out in the Forde community.
"All of you are here because you're leaders in the Forde community. All of you are here because you're have-a-go people, you see a problem and say not someone ought to do something about that but you say what can I do to make it better," he said.
"My main job here today is to salute you and to thank you."
Mr Abbott joked that he was particularly pleased to be out in the community because "I have to say we've had some pretty ragged times in parliament lately", to which he received resounding laughter.
"It's easy for us in parliament to get caught up in our own concerns, it's easy for us in parliament to start to think that what really matters is the internal machinations of politics," Mr Abbott said.
"But none of that matters, none of that matters. The only thing that really matters, that should really matter for us in parliament, is are we serving you the people of Australia to the very best of our ability."
Mr Abbott said he was using the afternoon tea in Forde, as well as other events around the country, to rededicate himself and the government to the service of the Australian community.
Park Ridge Pirates AFL Club president Andy Colenso met Mr Abbott at the afternoon tea and said it was great to have him visit Forde.
He said he spoke briefly to Mr Abbott about his club's seven-year struggle to get land in the Park Ridge area for their own club.
"He asked me how the club was going and I said good, but we needed our own land and he replied 'hopefully we'll rectify that'.
"So I guess we'll wait and see what happens."
