January
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for January is Melissa Perrine for Alpine Ski-ing.
Four medals from four events is the impressive result that downhill skier Melissa achieved at the World Para Alpine Skiing Championships held in Italy and Slovenia. Together with sighted guide Bobbi Kelly, the Senior Berrima District Sports Award winner for January won gold in the Women’s Super Combine Vision Impaired, silver in the Women’s Super-G Vision Impaired, silver in the Women’s Giant Slalom Vision Impaired and a bronze in the Women’s Slalom Vision Impaired.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for January is Tyler Ottosson for Basketball.
As a member of the NSW Country U18s Kookaburras team, Tyler and his teammates played against teams from Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand at the Australian Country Junior Basketball Cup. Searing heat in Albury pushed the team to their limit but they went through the tournament undefeated to claim gold.
February
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for February is Tessa Good for Hockey.
Tessa was selected in the 2019 Hockey NSW U18 Women’s Blues Team and will be competing in Hobart throughout April. The talented midfielder loves the variety of her position and is just as comfortable in attack as in defence. Not looking further than the upcoming tournament, Tessa is focused on playing well and enjoying the experience of new people and places.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for February is Lilea Seville for Athletics and Oz Tag.
Nine year old dynamo Lilea is the Junior winner for February after an extremely busy month competing in two of her favourite sports Athletics and Oz Tag. Representing Bowral Little Athletics, she won two regional athletics titles at the Region 4 Championships in Griffith over the weekend of the 9th and 10th in the 1100m walk and the 60m hurdles and also a bronze medal as part of the junior girls 4x100m relay, qualifying for the State Championships in Sydney in her two individual events. Then over the weekend of the 23rd & 24th, Lilea competed at the State Oztag Championships in Wagga Wagga. Playing up an age division in the U11s, against girls almost two years older, her team the Southwest Razorbacks made the semi-finals and eventually finished fourth in their division. As a result of her outstanding performance, Lilea has been selected to represent Country against City in U11 Oztag on the Central Coast over the June long weekend. She is a dedicated athlete who is also one of the Bowral Little Athletics warm-up coordinators on club nights, helping other young athletes prepare for their events. Lilea is in Year 4 at Berrima Public School and turns her attention in winter to playing Rugby League for the U10 Moss Vale Dragons.
March
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for March is Steve Robertson for Moto Cross.
It was not enough for Sutton Forest’s Steve Robertson to have the traditional Enduro qualities of endurance and navigational expertise to qualify as one of only two Australians to qualify for the Merzouga Rally in Morocco. The Berrima District Sports Award’s Senior March winner also needed speed, strength and mechanical know how. Steve competed in the first ever Australian KTM Ultimate Race Qualification event which was hosted alongside the high-profile Transmoto 12-Hour event at Batemans Bay. The riders also engaged in a series of off-bike challenges including the Bike Lift, Wheel Change and Navigation/Waypoints, as well as a pair of timed on-bike Special Tests. The results were so close that the top five competitors each carried out a ‘hot lap’ timed test of the entire Transmoto 12-Hour circuit to determine the final two.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for March is Ryan Emmerick for Cricket.
Ryan was selected in the NSW Combined High Schools (CHS) State Senior Boys Cricket Team to tour the United Kingdom and Wales in June/July 2019. His selection comes after strong performances during a number of matches but particularly at the NSWCHS State Championships. Ryan is a career Robertson/Burrawang player having played with the cricket club since the U10s. He is now a veteran of 1st grade having debuted as a 14 year old during the 2016/17 season. Ryan has also represented the Southern Highlands in U12s, U14s and U16s teams.
April
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for April is Ian Bradburn for Cricket.
Ian was selected in the Australian Over 60s Cricket team to tour the UK where fifteen games have been scheduled including three One-Day internationals against England. His selection, as the number one wicket keeper, was as a result of excellent performances at the State of Origin series in Queensland. Ian is also handy with the bat and this versatility will ensure he sees plenty of time on the oval against England.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for April is Maggie Fuller for Equestrian.
To say that Maggie Fuller lives and breathes polocrosse is an understatement. The 11 year old Exeter Public School student had already notched up 10 carnivals and the season had only kicked off in March. Polocrosse is in Maggie’s genes as her grandfather, parents and sister Zoe are all current or former players. Maggie had a supremely successful month which started at the Bungendore Carnival and ended at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. As there weren’t enough sub juniors (under 12 year olds), Maggie was placed in a team with other youngsters and entered in the E Grade Open division at the Bungendore Carnival. The juniors and intermediates, representing a variety of clubs, came away with the trophy. Maggie then turned her attention to competing at the Sydney Royal Easter Show where she was one of twelve players who were selected state wide to play in the Sub Junior division. Over two days, Maggie and her pony Miller competed in a four game series and came away undefeated. She also took home the Encouragement Award. When not galloping around a paddock wielding a racquet on a horse, Maggie enjoys attending Pony Club, in the polocrosse off season, and representing Exeter Public School in as many sports as possible.
May
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for May is Darcy Howard for Rugby League, Hockey and Touch.
To say that Darcy is a sports all-rounder could not be truer. A Year 12 Chevalier College student, Darcy was selected in the NSWCIS (Combined Independent School) Open Boys Hockey team to contest a tri series tournament at Homebush against CHS (Combined High Schools) and CCC (Combined Catholic College) students. He was also selected in the ISA (Independent Sports Association) Open Boys Touch Football Team to compete at the CIS Open Touch football trials at Penrith in June and also selected in the NSWCIS Under 18 Rugby League team. Initially, Darcy and his twin brother Jack were both selected in the NSWCIS squad following games at Bankstown. Once in the squad there was a long selection process throughout June involving a 3 day training camp at Sydney Academy of Sport and two trial games. Darcy was named in the final NSWCIS team that competed in the Australian Schoolboys Under 18 Championships in Canberra in July. He also plays 1st Grade Hockey for Bowral, Touch Football in Bowral Touch comp, 1st XV Rugby for Chevalier and, earlier in the year, in the 1st Cricket team for Chevalier.
The Junior Monthly Award for May was shared between three talented young athletes – Lachlan Mineeff for Motor Sports, Liam Hinchcliffe for Cross Country Running and Joel Manton for Rugby Union, Touch and Cross Country Running.
How ironic it must be for John and Sandra Mineeff to sit beside their son Lachlan as he works towards meeting the 120 mandatory hours to be eligible to sit for his Provisional licence. When they are not watching the speedometer to ensure he doesn’t sneak over the 90km hour NSW learners limit, they are watching him tear around race tracks across the country at speeds of up to 250 km/hr. The sixteen year old Oxley College student is competing in the Australian National Formula Ford series and, in May, climbed the podium for the first time as third place getter in Race 3 of the second Round held at the Queensland Raceway. Skip to Round 4 and Lachlan leapt up the podium to first place in Race 3 at the South Australian ‘The Bend’ Motorsport Park. Lachlan and his team CHE Racing has upped the ante this year entering a car in the Toyota 86 Race Series which are longer in duration. May 2019 saw a three way tie for the junior award with Lachlan sharing it with fellow Oxley College student Joel Manton and Moss Vale High School’s Liam Hinchcliffe.
Running over the extremely challenging Willandra Cross Country course on Cambewarra Mountain, 16 year old Liam blitzed the field to place first in his age group at the South Coast Secondary Cross Country Carnival. The 6km track is notorious for its technical difficulty due to the tough terrain. Liam went on to claim first place in the CHS (Combined High Schools) division of the All Schools State Cross Country Championships and fourth overall. Liam is also a talented Triathlete who earlier this year competed at the NSW All Schools Triathlon Championships. He placed first in the CHS division and second overall by a mere sixteen seconds. May 2019 saw a three way tie for the junior award with Liam sharing it with Oxley College students Lachlan Mineeff and Joel Manton.
Joel Manton had an extremely busy and successful May. The Year 11 Oxley College student, who plays fullback for the 1st XV, was selected in not one but two ISA (Independent Sports Association) teams – ISA Open Rugby Union 3rd XV and the ISA Open Touch team. Also, after winning the 17 years Cross Country medal at the Oxley College carnival, Joel went onto compete at the ISA XC Carnival at Easter Creek finishing in the top 20. May 2019 saw a three way tie for the junior award with Joel sharing it with fellow Oxley College student Lachlan Mineeff and Moss Vale High School’s Liam Hinchcliffe.
June
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for June is Meaghan Stanton for Mountain Biking.
A national title a year for the last three years was Meaghan Stanton’s reward for her dedication to cycling and saw her announced as the Senior winner for June. Meaghan spent the June long weekend at Redland Bay in Queensland competing at the Australian National Marathon Championships. Racing for Trek Shimano Australia, she won the 96km Masters race and the Masters 3 Australian National title for the third year in a row. Meaghan, who has been riding mountain bikes for around 12 years, is passionate about promoting and encouraging women in the sport. A teacher at Oxley College, she is also a successful MTB coach guiding the Oxley College team to a second place in the 2019 JetBlack NSW All Schools Championships, also in June.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for June is Mathew Parkes for Rugby League and Rugby Union.
Converting from one Rugby football code to the other is not unheard of in Australia with a few famous code hoppers like Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers and LoteTuqiri becoming dual internationals. What is probably more impressive is code flippers like young Matthew Parkes who flips effortlessly between Rugby League and Rugby Union on a daily basis. During June, the talented Year 9 Chevalier College student played in the NSWCIS (Combined Independent Schools) Under 15 team at the Australian School Boys Rugby Union Championships on the Gold Coast. This was the first team to ever make a final, unfortunately going down to NSWCCC (Combined Catholic Colleges). Flipping to Rugby League, he was also selected in the NSWCIS Under 15 Rugby League team for the Australian Championships and then back to Union, Matthew was also selected in the Under 15 Country Rugby Union team to play at the Australian Championships. This year Matthew has also represented Group 6 in Rugby League.
July
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for July is Tremaine Gallagher for Darts.
For Tremaine Gallagher, darts is in his blood. It is this love of darts that he shares with his family, plus enormous talent, that has resulted him being selected to represent Australia at the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) Youth World Championships to be held in England this November. Tremaine describes England as the heart of darts and, though he is hoping for some wins, he will also be using the experience to learn. He not only plays in the local Mittagong District Darts Association competition but also at an elite level. The Dart Players Australia League attracts players from all around Australia and New Zealand and, as Tremaine qualified second in the youth rankings for the year, he was offered a spot on the Australian team. He is one step closer to realising his dream to become a permanent player in England and play in the World Championships.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for July is Michelle Di Natale for Golf.
Three years ago, fourteen year old Michelle Di Natale liked the idea of taking up golf. Just three years later, under the guidance of the ladies of the Bowral Golf Club and their PGA Professional Kevin Kenny, Michelle has had a meteoric rise which culminated in July with her winning the NSW Girls 13 Years Championship. The NSW Junior Championships and the Jack Newton Junior Golf (JNJG) State Age Championships were played over four rounds in Newcastle, Belmont and Charlestown Golf Clubs over the 9th – 12th July. Michelle was crowned 13 years Champion with a score of +36 which was 12 strokes ahead of her nearest rival. She also won the Nett competition by 8 strokes. The JNJG championship is open to national and international players aged 17 years and younger and Michelle, one of the youngest in the field, placed 31st. Also in July, she won her first Bowral Golf Club and Golf NSW Women’s medal event with a Gross 79, Nett 72. All these achievements saw Michelle, who is in Year 8 at Chevalier College, a very worthy winner of the Junior Berrima District Sports Award for July
August
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for August is Matt Heard for Triathlon.
Matt Heard is a gentleman who packs a lot into life. The well-respected Chevalier College PDHPE/Wilderness teacher and Leader of Learning at Chevalier College and father of two young children is also a national triathlete who travelled to Lausanne in Switzerland in August to compete at the ITU World Championships. Matt switched from Adventure Racing to Triathlon in 2012 and quickly realised his body and lifestyle were best suited to the sprint distance. To qualify, Matt placed 2nd and 5th in two Triathlon Australia sanctioned events in the 35-39 age group and went to the event as the 2nd highest Australian qualifier. He managed to fit in two sessions per day, 6 days a week prior to departing Australia and acknowledges his wife and children as his greatest supporters. Though this is not the first time he has qualified for a World Championships, the age of his children and location meant that the timing was right. Lining up against 98 athletes from around the world he finished in 15th place.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for August is Heidi Bowie for Brazilian Jui Jitsu.
Nine year old Heidi is the junior winner for August after returning from the Australian Federation of Brazilian Jui Jitsu National Championships with a gold medal. The event saw athletes converge in Melbourne at the Sports and Aquatic Centre and, in a nail-biting bout, Heidi came from behind to win by points 6-2. This year she remains undefeated in her age group after winning gold at the Queensland State Championships and a silver at the state championships in New South Wales. Heidi, who represents Pure Jui Jitsu and trains twice a week under the guidance of coach Tony Pycroft, is heading to the International Federation of Jui Jitsu Pan Pacific Championships to be held in Melbourne in late October. Heidi, who is a Year 3 student at Berrima Public School, also played Hockey for Mittagong during winter and is a member of the Empire Performance dancing troupe.
September
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for September is Colin Clarson for Athletics.
In September, Colin travelled to Mackay in Queensland for the Oceanic Masters Games meeting athletes from seventeen countries including New Zealand, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Cook Islands. Though the heat of Mackay was challenging, he felt he coped quite well with an extremely busy schedule. Colin competed in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m running events over the five days. Competing against world class runners in the 55-60 years age category, Colin was elated to come home with a bronze medal for the 800m and a silver for the 400m events. A highlight was being selected for the Australian 4 x 100m relay team and placing second.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for September is Chilli Sparke for Cross Country Ski-ing.
Chilli spent a very busy and successful week in September in the Victorian Alps. Firstly, she competed in the Under 15 Classic Sprint event at the Australian Junior Cross Country Ski-ing Championships at Falls Creek. Though she was the youngest competitor, at just twelve years of age, she placed 5th. The day after, she placed 4th in the Under 15 Distance Freestyle event. These races proved invaluable experience as she headed to the Australian Interschool’s Cross Country Championships at Mount Buller. Competing in Division 4, for students in Years 5 and 6, Chilli won the gold medal and is currently the fastest primary aged girl on cross county skis in Australia. To qualify, Chilli won the state event in August and also picked up two bronze medal in the Division 4 teams and relay events. Her older brothers Phoenix and Rex and younger sister Sapphire share her passion for skiing and parents, Katrina and Sam are her biggest supporters. Chilli also managed to play hockey over winter, compete in fencing and equestrian events and train with the Oxley College Junior School Rugby Squad.
October
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for September is Talicia Beardsmore for Equestrian..
The senior award winner for October is a local equestrienne of merit. Talicia Beardsmore of Avoca, represented NSW at the Australian Pony Club Championships at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre competing in the Novice Dressage event. She began competing in sanctioned qualifying events last October on her twenty-four year old horse Jeopardy. Talicia, competing in the 18-25 years age group, placed 2nd in her first test, 2nd in her second test and third in her third test to place her 1st overall and therefore crowned Senior Novice National Dressage Champion. The first day of the seven day event was a training day and Talicia also spent a day volunteering. When not riding, Talicia is studying Marketing and Communication by distance education.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for October is Anneliese Wansey for Equestrian.
Anneliese’s incredible performance at the NSW State Show Jumping Championship saw her crowned as the Junior Champion Rider and a very worthy winner of the junior award for the month of October. In Round 1, she placed fifth but just three seconds behind the winner. Anneliese placed first in round 2 riding Classic Act and also second riding Kolora Stud St Patrick. Only thirty riders progressed to the final round and she went in ranking first on Kolora Stud St Patrick and fifth on Classic Act. To guarantee the title, Anneliese and Kolora Stud St Patrick needed to go clear in this final class. This amazing duo had a double clear round and therefore could not be beaten. She also placed third, riding Class Act. Also during October, Anneliese was selected to represent NSW at the Australian Championships in Boneo, Victoria, placed second in the Junior Final at the Tamworth World Cup and was appointed NSW Captain of the Combined Training Team for Interschools Equestrian. Anneliese, a Year 10 student, balances her passion for riding with her studies at Oxley College.
November
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for November is Shane Green for Cross Fit.
The Berrima District Sports Awards Senior winner for November, Shane Green, scored a magnificent second place at the World Championships of the International Masters HQ fitness competition in Brisbane. Thousands of competitors began the qualifying journey in April which led to the world championships in Brisbane in November. Over the three day event, the workouts included running, weight bar, push up, pullup and gymnastic challenges. Shane is well supported by his Benton Gym trainers and family. He now turns his attention to training for the Over 35 Masters League competition which will culminate in May 2020 in Melbourne
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for November is Sebastian Hernandez for Football.
The Junior Berrima District Sports Award winner for November, Sebastian Hernandez, finished the year on a high after playing a major role in the NSW 16s Schoolboys Football team winning the Australian Schoolboy Championships. Sebastian, a Year 10 student at Bowral High School, who plays U18s with the Blacktown City Football Club, was selected in the NSW 16s Combined High Schools team in May to play in the NSW All Schools Tournament. After playing brilliantly he was selected in the NSW All School’s 16s Boys team and, after only a few training sessions, the team gelled to win five from five matches at the Australian Championships in Brisbane. He scored five goals across the tournament out of a team total of fifteen. It is no surprise that he was selected in the All Schools Australian Boys Football team which tours the UK in January 2020.
December
The Senior Monthly Award Winner for December is Kim Delaney for Golf.
Kim Delaney, the Berrima District Sports Award senior winner for December, finished the year with a bang winning the Golf NSW Women’s Division 1 State Country Gold Medal. She began by playing in Moss Vale Golf Club’s Monthly Medals where her best three scores qualified her for the District Medal competition. Kim played at Belconnen Golf Club in October against the other twenty club winners and won. She then represented the Central Southern Golf Association in December at the State Championships playing against the winners of the sixteen other New South Wales districts. Kim, with a score of nett 76, won the Country Gold Medal at Stonecutters Ridge Golf Club. A fulltime teacher at Chevalier College, Kim has only been playing golf on weekends and in school holidays for three years but, with practice and determination, has reduced her GA (Golf Australia) Handicap from 45 to 15.
The Junior Monthly Award Winner for December is Rory Shedden for Orienteering.
The Junior December Berrima District Sports Award winner Rory Shedden had all his hard work recognised when he was awarded the Male 10 years (M10) Orienteer of the Year for 2019. This is a points based prize awarded by Orienteering NSW. It is no surprise as during 2019 Rory, who only turned nine in November, travelled to New Zealand and became the New Zealand M10 Long distance Champion, won both the Sprint discipline and the Middle distance for his age group at the NSW Schools Orienteering Championships and had three top ten finishes in the U12 Australian and Oceania Orienteering Championships. He finished the year with a bronze medal at the Christmas 5 Day Orienteering Carnival in Armidale in the event. Rory who is heading into Year 4 at Oxley College in 2020 is also a keen runner, skier, cricketer and football player.
