Hayley leaps high with Olympic aims

By Kirra Livingstone

YOUNG showjumper Hayley Wall isn’t so much breaking down barriers as soaring over them.

The 10-year-old Glasshouse Christian College student has just landed her biggest achievement to date, winning four top placings at the Hygain Interschool Queensland State Championships.

The event, held at the Toowoomba Showgrounds in late June, saw Hayley riding her two horses, Black Layce and Diehard Diva across the weekend event.

The Year 5 student won on each horse - with Black Layce for the 70cm Primary Champion and on Diehard Diva for 80cm Primary Champion.

Hayley and Diehard Diva were also 80cm Primary Reserve Champions and 90cm

Primary Reserve Champions. Hayley won the Golden Ticket for both of her horses, qualifying by being in the top four in each race and each horse must jump higher than 80cm.

“Hayley rode her heart out and so did her two horses Die hard Diva and Black Layce, you were allowed to compete on the one horse in two different jump heights,” Hayley’s mum, Kelly, said.

“In one of the competitions the round of height goes higher… you compete in three different jump round competitions.”

Although Hayley is currently enjoying competing at a local level, jumping at 1m, she also has one eye on the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. “Hayley would be turning 19 years old when the Olympics come to Australia, she would love to work towards the Olympics,” Kelly said. “The Olympic

Maleny streetscape to be revealed

A COMMUNITY forum will be held at the Maleny Community Centre on July 20 to reveal the draft concept for the longawaited $1.5 million upgrade to the Maleny Streetscape.

The community forum, which will run from 5pm to 8pm, will allow residents to provide feedback on the Sunshine Coast Council’s draft concept and will listen to the community’s perspective on July 2024.

A final concept plan was scheduled to be revealed in late 2022, with construction to start in mid-2023 and a 2025 completion date. Public consultation and input from about 200 residents found the community’s highest priorities were improvements to seating/places to meet, footpaths/ accessibility, parking/traffic, shading and Maleny Lane. Maleny’s first streetscape concept plan was started in 2005 with the completion of the project in 2010, and in early 2022, initial project planning was completed for the Maleny Streetscape placemaking project.

showjumping fence height is 1.6m, and has a maximum width of 2m.”

Hayley added: “My trainer is starting to push me to push 1.1m and 1.2m to continue to develop as a showjumper, and tells me what I need to do to improve.”

Following her efforts, Hayley has qualified for the Interschool National Championships, which will be held in Werribee, Melbourne in September. Hayley said qualifying for the interschool nationals is her biggest achievement to date in her professional showjumping career.

“I’ve only been competing professionally for three years but every event I win is an achievement in itself,” she said.

“If I ever lose an event, it’s just a learning experience to be better next time.” Hayley has also qualified for the PonyClub of Australia Nationals.