As the sun went down behind the rolling hills shadowing Albion Park Bowling Club, Labor candidate Katelin McInerney was preparing to enter her political career for the second time with an "air of certainty".

“It’s because of your support I can be standing up here, second time lucky, as the new Labor member for Kiama,” McInerney told the jubilant crowd in her victory speech at Albion Park Bowling Club.

At the beginning of the night, The Ruth Williams room slowly filled with loyal Labor members, but the energy went to another level when the Party's younger supporters arrived.

Amongst the chatter of the crowd there was a cheer “we’ve got Nowra – that’s the most conservative part!” and you could feel the excitement of the room crescendo.

Throughout the night, the drinks were flowing, and it became not only a sea of red shirts, but also a choir of cheers from the young Labor supporters.

When the news spread of Liberal candidate Serena Copley conceding, the room's energy reached exponential heights.

“Katelin, Katelin!” the room roared.

With the crowd gathered by the door, the anticipation was electrifying as the room waited for the new member for Kiama to arrive.

Dressed in the Labor colours of red, McInerney walked in alongside Wollongong MP Paul Scully and he raised her hand in triumph to the cheering crowd.

As McInerney made her way to the stage for her speech, she embraced her now fellow Labor MPs, providing not quite a majority government, but another seat filled.

Scully presented McInerney officially to the crowd, as the new member for Kiama, praising the Labor family for rallying behind the local candidate in the election.

“This result is an invitation for us to continue the hard work that the Minns government has been doing over the past few years,” he said.

As McInerney stepped up to the lectern the roar from the Labor faithful was all consuming and she thanked and pledged to the 200-strong crowd her commitment to the electorate.

“Today, many people of this electorate voted for the NSW Labor team for the very first time,” McInerney said.

“And many people voted for Labor for the first time in a long time. I just want to say I thank them deeply for putting their faith and their trust and their confidence in me and in the NSW Minns Labor Government.

“Whoever you’ve supported in the past, whoever you chose to support today, it doesn’t matter.

“I will be a strong advocate and a strong voice in the NSW Parliament on your behalf, representing this community every day. As I rightly said, the work starts today.”

The new member of parliament for the Labor party thanked the Premier Chris Minns and her new party members, both state and federal for their support, as well as bringing her partner Brian Fernley on stage to thank him and also her family and friends.

McInerney then joined the crowd and ran straight for her family and friends to celebrate and just like that, the former Minnamurra Public School student took her first steps to Macquarie street as the first elected female member of the Kiama electorate.  

Oh, what a night!