GREATER SHEPPARTON
R O TS P S
GREATER SHEPPARTON
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Celebrating excellence Even throughout the trying times of a pandemic, Greater Shepparton’s sporting community knows the importance of highlighting and celebrating the achievements of its greatest products — both past and present. Few realise this importance more than the members of the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame Committee, who have once again come together to preside over the unenviable task of deciding which sporting greats will be inducted into the hall of fame, honour roll and junior honour roll of the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. Cr Anthony Brophy, Cr Geoff Dobson, Peter Holland, David Quinn, David Booth, Belinda Conna, Darryl Butcher, Margo Koskelainen and Don Kilgour eventually settled on the 26 members of the latest induction, with the hall of fame, honour roll and junior honour roll ranks all due to swell at the 2021 ceremony — which had to be held in 2022 due to the fluctuating nature of the COVID‑19 pandemic. To qualify for hall of fame nomination,
WRITERS
Aydin Payne Tyler Maher Max Stainkamph Meg Saultry Rod Woods Liam Nash
Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame Advisory Committee
sports stars must have made a significant contribution to their sport at the Australian representative level. The honour roll inductees have each had their achievements recognised at a regional, state or national representative level and junior honour roll inductees have each represented at the Australian representative level as a junior. Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame advisory committee chair Cr Anthony Brophy said the awards were a fantastic initiative to preserve, celebrate and showcase the history and heritage of local sporting excellence. “It means a lot to the inductees and especially their families,” Cr Brophy said. “Looking back on their achievements post‑career and seeing how it started out in the Goulburn Valley is something that the inductees and their families can share together. Sport can so often be an individual or solo pursuit at the highest level, so to have something to share with friends and family is fantastic. “The hall of fame is a terrific initiative, and this is a long‑awaited induction for
the newest members. “It’s a night of celebration and commemoration of those who have achieved at the highest possible level they can, and I’m sure many more inductees will be recognised as time goes on.” The hall of fame initiative is more than a showcase of athletic abilities. It recognises those who have made a significant contribution to their sport and hopes to inspire our community members to participate in sport and recreation and to strive for excellence in their fields. The Newsis again proud to have partnered with Greater Shepparton City Council for this initiative and has run in‑depth profiles on each inductee ahead of the induction ceremony. This has culminated in a keepsake feature product highlighting the achievements of all of the 2021 hall of fame, honour roll and junior honour roll inductees. We would like to congratulate and thank all of the committee members for their hard work, especially Don Kilgour for providing in‑depth information about the sporting careers of the inductees.
David Booth
Belinda Conna
Don Kilgour
Darryl Butcher
Margo Koskelainen
Peter Holland
David Quinn
Cr Anthony Brophy
Cr Geoff Dobson
SUB-EDITORS
Wendy Russell
PHOTOGRAPHY Rodney Braithwaite Megan Fisher
Published by: Shepparton News, 7940 Melbourne Rd, Shepparton 3630 Ph: 5831 2312 www.sheppnews.com.au Page 2 Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022
Accomplishments are reflection of community effort Greater Shepparton is recognised for having a strong sporting identity. Over the years we have seen many of our sports stars achieve success locally, and on state, national and international levels. I am delighted to see so many worthy recipients being inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame for 2021. Our current inductees deserve to be recognised for their hard work, dedication and determination. Their accomplishments have often been a team effort, with the support of friends, family, local sports clubs and volunteers who have all worked just as hard behind the scenes. There is no doubt that our local sports clubs provide opportunities that lay the foundation for local athletes to excel. More importantly, they nurture positive health and participation outcomes for
our community. They teach important lessons of volunteerism, co‑operation, leadership, teamwork, communication, addressing challenges, defeating adversity and how to constructively pursue success. Fundamentally, our local clubs provide opportunities that support a positive approach to developing good physical and mental health and wellbeing. Greater Shepparton City Council understands that the past year has been a challenging time for our local sports clubs. With this in mind, we look forward to working together to keep our community members connected and participating in local sport, whether this be as players, trainers, coaches, umpires, committee members or even assisting in the canteen. Our passion for sports as a region has led us to positioning Greater
Shepparton as the sporting capital of regional Victoria. We look forward to continuing to bring national and international sporting events to the region to further enhance this position. I would like to personally thank the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame Advisory Committee for bringing this concept to fruition and growing its success over the years. I encourage you all to visit the council’s website to see all our Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame inductees, listen to their stories and reflect on their achievements. Their success is our success. Congratulations to all that will soon be inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. It all would not be possible without the hard work of the committee, our media partner McPherson Media Group and
everyone else involved behind the scenes. I encourage you to come along to the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, February 4, to recognise and celebrate our local sporting success. I look forward to acknowledging the achievements of our inductees and clubs through honouring their legacy as members of the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame.
Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe GREATER SHEPPARTON CITY COUNCIL
The team at PSC Griffiths Goodall recognises and celebrates the valuable contribution that the Sports Hall of Fame nominees have made to their sport, and whose efforts enable and inspire our young to participate in sport and recreation in our local community.
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Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022 Page 3
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GREATER SHEPPARTON SPORTS HALL OF FAME
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Stacey Collier Lawn bowls
Following in her late father’s footsteps, East Shepparton Bowls Club member Stacey Collier got a taste of lawn bowls at an early age; and in her 25 years of involvement since, Collier has made a name for herself across the Goulburn Valley and further afield. The success Collier has had in lawn bowls over that period has now been further recognised, with her nomination for Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. Collier has won eight Goulburn Valley titles, a state under‑18 title in 1998, an Australian under‑18 title in 1999 and state singles and fours titles in 2000 and has represented her home region and state on several occasions across her career, but her ultimate highlight came at the turn of the century when she triumphed in the 2000 world under‑25 singles championship, when she was representing Australia. “My major highlight was winning the world under‑25 championship overseas — that was on Jersey island (between England and France),” Collier said. “Apart from that, there has been plenty of times where I have had the chance to represent Australia and also Victoria, right through junior and senior levels and I’ve had success all along.” It’s that success that keeps Collier returning to the sport year after year and also after the break she took to start a family. “The success I’ve had over my career (has kept me coming back),” she said. “I started bowling when I was 10 and first made the state side when I was 14. “At 22, I had my first child, so I was off bowls for a few years; and when I came back, my family encouraged me to try for the state side again and keep going, and that’s what I’ve done.” Collier said the sport was important to her as it gave balance to her life. “It’s something for me to do apart from being a mum and working (at the Shepparton Bowls Shop),” she said. “You meet different people along the way.
“I enjoy playing in the Vic Open here in Shepparton every year in November and to catch up with friends from years ago and meet new friends. “It’s (the Vic Open) a good atmosphere.” Much like she did, Collier’s oldest son Bailey Leask also took up the sport at a young age, and he has had success as well. “My eldest son, he is nearly 17, he’s played on and off the last few years,” Collier said. “He’s not playing at the moment, but he’s represented Victoria as well as a junior.” When asked what it meant to be nominated for the hall of fame, Collier said she was “lost for words”. “I know I have achieved so much, but there is a lot of other people that have achieved just as much, if not more,” she said. “I’m absolutely honoured to be able to be nominated for the hall of fame with some of the greats of the Goulburn Valley. “To have my family there, who have supported me the whole way through — Dad isn’t here anymore, he passed away, but I have Mum, my four kids, my partner Peter, brothers and sisters and extended family. “To have them all with me on the night will be just amazing.”
Page 4 Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022
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Terrie Crozier Lawn bowls
Growing up as the daughter of one of Shepparton’s best-known allround sportswomen, Terrie Crozier felt the pressure of her mother Peg Curtis’s reputation from an early age. But one achievement Crozier can now list with her mother is their place in the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. Curtis was inducted to the honour roll in 2019; Crozier will join the hall of fame ranks in February. Crozier said she was speechless when she received the news. “I was so pleased for myself, for the game of lawn bowls and for my family, who’ve supported me with every step along the way. It is a real honour to be inducted.” Lawn bowls is the vehicle that has carried Crozier into the hall of fame, but it was an offhand comment that got the ‘bowl’ rolling. “In 1998 the Commonwealth Games
were on in Malaysia I think and the men’s fours gave away an eight which actually cost them the gold medal,” Crozier said. “A day later I was talking to Mum and Dad at home and I said, ‘the game can’t be that hard that you can give away an eight …’. “Mum looked at me and Dad rolled his eyes, because they were both bowlers, and anyway a couple of days later I get a call from Bill Sinclair who was the Shepparton Bowls Club coach and he said, ‘I believe you’re interested in learning how to play bowls’. “Well, I didn’t know what to say. I thought ‘God, I’m not going to play bowls’, but I said, ‘Oh well, I’ll give it a go’.” Umpiring came later, but it was as an official where Crozier’s bowls career took off. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to learn the rules or I’m just not going to enjoy playing’ …
That would have been 1999 when I started my first umpires’ course and I got my first umpires’ badge in 2000, level one national umpire, and then the appointments keep coming.” Crozier’s journey to officiate at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne began in 2003 when Bowls Australia sought applications. “They had about 2500,” Crozier said. “(When I made the last 150) we travelled around Victoria umpiring different things while the selectors were there and finally in 2005 the letter came. The letter sat on the shelf for about three days, I couldn’t open it to see whether I was selected or not.” Crozier said she really enjoyed the Commonwealth Games. “I umpired some finals; I did the ladies’ pairs gold medal match and the ladies’ triples gold medal match.” In 2009 a new umpire qualification
was introduced: international technical official. “Both my partner and I achieved success and we were in the first 10 to be given their ITOs in the world,” Crozier said. She had another Commonwealth Games appointment in Delhi, in 2010. “I was asked to do the gold medal match, which was the top job, the ladies’ singles. When I was asked to do it, I thought ‘Oh goodness me, I’m not good enough to do the gold medal match, it’s going to be broadcast around the world … “And then I thought ‘well, you’re only going to get one shot at it, so give it a go’. “And I did, and I enjoyed it, I didn’t make any mistakes — well, none that I know of — and it was just a wonderful experience to be able to participate at that level of umpiring.”
Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022 Page 5
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Leigh Egan
BMX
An injury ended his BMX cycling career prematurely, but that didn’t stop Shepparton’s Leigh Egan from having a huge impact on the sport. The man known as “The Master of BMX” was Australia’s first elite men’s BMX world champion, and Egan’s efforts on the dirt tracks have been recognised by Greater Shepparton City Council’s selection committee, which has named him as a nominee for the region’s sports hall of fame. When Shepparton’s BMX track opened in 1980, Egan knew it was the sport for him. “It was a pretty exciting sport … so we ventured out to the north end of Shepparton and started riding around, which was fun,” Egan said. “The competitiveness (was my favourite part). “Just to line up with an even start with seven other people and find out who was the best. “I was always like that. I can remember as a young child in Grade 2 and 3 and we’d go for a run around the block before class and I had to win it. That drive was there from a very young age.” That drive earned Egan titles in the sport at state, national and international levels. “I did 10 years of BMX at a reasonable level and then I retired in 1991,” he said. “To win a world championship is obviously exciting and to do it in Japan in 1984 when I wasn’t expected to win — it was great. “I think races where you are under the most pressure and you can get over the top and win those races, they are probably the most (fulfilling). “Probably my first Australian title in
1985 in Launceston (Tasmania) at York Park — that was one of the biggest highlights. “Then in 1986 in Elizabeth, South Australia. That’s because I wasn’t expected to win in Elizabeth and my teammate Paul Addams was going better than me, but once again, in the final I was able to pull out the big guns and get over the top.” Despite all he achieved, it could have been much more had it not been for a crash during a race. “I had a fall at the South Eastern BMX track, where I severed three fingers in a freak accident,” Egan said. “I was very unwell for a while after that and to come back I had to change a lot of the things that made me who I was. “The brake lever had to swap from one side to the other and so forth which made it hard, and the injury pretty much finished me up.” Despite retiring earlier than he would have liked, Egan still likes to attend events at Shepparton’s BMX track. “I haven’t been involved for a long time now, but I still like to catch up with guys from the past and I still venture over to the track.” Egan said it was a “fantastic” feeling to be nominated for the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. “Just to be thought of with the likes of some of the other people who are already in the hall of fame is fantastic,” he said. “I’m just happy to be involved in sport in general and I’ve been blessed with a little bit of sporting talent to be able to travel the world and do those things and meet people, and I’m probably the person I am today because of it.”
Page 6 Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022
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Narelle Gosstray
Baseball
Narelle Gosstray has pretty much covered the gamut of positions on the baseball field. From short stop to pitcher and around the bases, to later taking up a post in the outfield, Gosstray’s mantra of always saying yes has had her reach the greatest of heights as an Australian representative baseball player. “At club level, I was a short stop, third base and pitcher, and then on the Australian team I was picked as second base,” Gosstray said. “It’s just those different skillsets you need at different levels. But I ended up loving it, working hard and owning second base after a few years … It’s not so much whether your skills are appropriate, it’s your desire to play and willingness to go out of your comfort zone.” Exceeding that comfort zone allowed Gosstray to build a career worthy of being inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, something Gosstray said was the last thing she ever expected. “I probably didn’t even realise what it meant, but when I looked at the previous inductees, I was like ‘wow’, names like Mike Scandolera, Peg Curtis, Lee Naylor and Liz Taverner,” she said. “ …It blew me away to think people would think I would fit in that same scenario.” Growing up in Shepparton, Gosstray’s life revolved around sport: everything from basketball to softball and volleyball to badminton. But it wasn’t until she was 25 and living in Melbourne that she was introduced to baseball. “I was literally walking past a baseball field where there was a co‑ed team out there playing and I stopped and watched,” Gosstray said. “The umpire called over and said, ‘hey, why aren’t you playing?’ … He came over between innings and told me to come down to trainings and they’ll get me in a team. “That was it … so I went to play for Cheltenham.” Her skills in softball made the transition to baseball easy. “The training and quality of coaching I had in Shepparton was excellent, and I had good fundamental baseball skills.” From there Gosstray began to make her mark and was selected in the Victorian team in Australia’s first
national competition before getting the call‑up to the Australian team a year later. The professionalism within the Australian team and its governing body has changed over the years, Gosstray says, but there is still a way to go with baseball considered a minor sport outside the United States, Canada and Japan. “But we hold our own and are growing and providing options to girls to do what they love.” After retiring from the national team in her 30s, coaching and administration was next. “From the moment I was asked to start coaching, I fell in love with it,” Gosstray said. “And because I was still playing at a state and club level, it actually improved my playing for a while, because when you’re demonstrating it to someone else it refines your own skills.” Gosstray coached the Australian junior national women’s team in 2010 and 2011 before becoming an assistant coach for the senior national women’s team in 2014. “But I realised in the senior team that coaching at grassroots level was really where my passion lay,” she said. “I came full circle, starting back with juniors, but not just that, coaching adults who hadn’t played before. Teaching them the skills, you can have this huge learning curve … I love to see the huge jump in skill levels.” Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022 Page 7
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Julie Staudenmaier (nee Gross)
Basketball Julie Staudenmaier (nee Gross) started her basketball career training outdoors on slabs of cement at Tatura Football Netball Club, but by the time she retired Staudenmaier had represented Victoria and Australia and made a name for herself in the United States. The former Tatura local, who now lives in Mississippi, always thought she could go far in the sport. “It was kind of immediately (I thought I could make a career out of it),” she said. “My mum used to always tell the story that when I came home from the first game I played I said ‘I love this game, I want to play for Australia’. “I don’t remember saying that, but apparently I did.” Despite her bold ambitions, basketball wasn’t Staudenmaier’s first choice. “Probably like most people back then I started off playing netball, and then a Tat group started up,” she said. “They (the organisers) were like ‘we are going to start up a team, do you want to be on it?’ “So, I had to beg my parents to play basketball. “They were like ‘try it for one game and see how it goes’ and I loved it.” While Staudenmaier had represented Vic Country at junior level, it was a decision to move to Dandenong that really kick‑ started her career. “I started when I was about 15 and from Tat I went to play with a Shepp team,” she said. “Then I was on the Victorian Country under‑16 or 18 team. “I remember my last year of high school at Shepparton High School, Vic Country wanted me and Dandenong wanted me too. “I thought ‘I have had enough of Vic Country, so I am going to play for Dandenong’.
“From there, I went to the Victorian state team and the rest is history.” Despite it being the right move, Staudenmaier said it wasn’t easy. “I had to travel down by train to practise. I tried to study on the train, but it was difficult. “The transition from Shepp to Dandenong was a good one. The coach was good — it was Charlie Wilson. He is very energetic and loud, but we all loved him and I learnt a lot.” One of the highlights of Staudenmaier’s career was representing Australia at two world championships. “There’s nothing like it, playing for the national team,” she said. “We went to … South America, then to Korea. “I was one of the youngest on the team, so I didn’t get a whole lot of game time. “I went to the coach after the game and he said ‘you played really well’ and I said ‘I only scored two points’ and he said ‘how much did we win by?’ and I said ‘two points’. “It’s just amazing … you have this great sense of pride.” While representing the Opals was the pinnacle of her career, Staudenmaier’s other major achievement was being awarded a sports scholarship at Louisiana State University. Staudenmaier became the university’s first player to be selected in the All American team in her first year and finished her career as the all‑time leading rebounder in the university’s history and was second on the all‑time scoring list. Now, she is ranked as the second leading rebounder in school history. Back then, Staudenmaier said women’s college basketball wasn’t anything like it is today. “It wasn’t very big when I first got there. “I think our generation probably started the ball rolling.”
Page 8 Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022
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Steven King
AFL
The start of Geelong premiership player, St Kilda ruckman and AFL assistant coach Steven King’s career was a whirlwind. “It all happened very quickly for me. I was drafted at 16 and moved down to Geelong through Year 11,” Shepparton export King, 42, said. After wowing recruiters, King traded his school uniform for the signature blue and white hoops guernsey at Geelong Football Club. “I remember going to the club and you saw guys like Ablett Sr, Garry Hocking … you had legends of Geelong playing at the time,” he said. “I was living out my childhood dream.” King caught his first big break in his maiden year at the Cats. The then 17‑year‑old tall timber, who had yet to run out against men, played a remarkable 13 games in 1996. “I hadn’t played any open age footy at that point … so it was a little bit daunting. “I was really lucky to have some great people around me at that age and have some strong role models, like Hocking, at the club.” For many teenagers, sport plays an integral part in their upbringing. And for King it was no different. “From such a young age my life revolved around sport,” he said. “Dad spent a fair bit of time kicking the footy with me and my brothers.” Those days in the backyard morphed into a 240‑game playing career. Before his 22nd birthday, the hulking 203 cm tall was awarded the first of two Carji Greeves medals. An All‑Australian gong went his way in that same season, as he became the first Geelong player since his mentor Hocking in 1996 to earn selection in the prestigious squad. King added his second Geelong best‑ and‑fairest award two years later in 2002 and was club captain from 2003 to 2006. But his proudest moment came on September 29, 2007, as Geelong crushed a 44‑year premiership drought. “The opportunity to captain the club and to be a premiership player are both something I am really thankful for and fortunate to be a part of,” King said.
However, all good things must come to an end. “A week later I got the tap on the shoulder that maybe my time was up … I was lucky enough St Kilda had some interest.” King’s time at the Saints is highlighted by what many pundits remember as an extraordinary game of football: the 2009 grand final between King’s Saints and his former club Geelong, which went on to win by 12 points. King recalls that day as the most difficult of his career. A final playing year followed the heartache of 2009, before King swapped his playing boots for the magnet board. “The older I got, the more I enjoyed passing on stuff that I had been taught,” the current assistant coach at Western Bulldogs said. The most satisfying moment in King’s decade at the Kennel came in 2016. After finishing seventh on the ladder, the Bulldogs made an unbelievable September run to win the premiership — ending a 62‑year drought. King’s extensive career and achievements in the AFL world have now landed him an accolade in his hometown: he will be inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. “Like everyone else, it’s more recognition for the people who helped me along the journey,” he said. “And hopefully it can continue to inspire others to believe in their dreams and work towards something they really want to achieve.” Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022 Page 9
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Jarrod Lyle Golf Anyone with an interest in golf knows how good Shepparton’s Jarrod Lyle was, but those closest to him say he was an even better person. Lyle, who started his career at Shepparton Golf Club, died in 2018 from acute myeloid leukaemia aged 36. But Lyle made a huge impact on those who knew him and his sport, and because of this the Shepparton product has been nominated for Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. Fellow Shepparton Golf Club member and family friend Ian Bull spoke of Lyle’s impact. “I first met Jarrod in 1992–93 when I joined the Shepparton Golf Club,” Bull said. “The very first round of golf I ever played was with Jarrod and his father John.
“I think Jarrod at the time was about 12, maybe 13.” Bull said Lyle’s love for the game was clear from that first meeting, but his diagnosis put the brakes on his career. “His initial diagnosis of leukaemia as a 17‑year‑old … really put a halt to his progress within the sport … but … he was certainly committed and very passionate about getting out of the hospital and getting back out on the golf course.” Bull said it was hard to summarise Lyle’s career highs because of the amount he achieved. “His journey through to the USPGA Tour through the sub tour in the United States, where he had two wins at the secondary tier; turning professional and making a career as a USPGA Tour player was an enormous achievement … but for me it was all about what
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE INDUCTED INTO THE GREATER SHEPPARTON SPORTS HALL OF FAME From lawn bowls to speedway racing, from BMX racing to trap shooting, from squash to sport aerobics (and, of course, footy, cricket and netball), the inductees into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame have made the region proud with their feats in a diverse mix of competitions. Well done to all! And remember, no sport could be played if it were not for all the volunteers who work hard behind the scenes each and every week, so a huge thank you to them.
Damian DRUM MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR NICHOLLS
426 Wyndham Street, Shepparton, VIC 3630 03 5821 5371 damian.drum.mp@aph.gov.au DamianDrumNats damiandrummp Authorised by D. Drum MP, National Party of Australia, 426 Wyndham Street, Shepparton VIC 3630.
Page 10 Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022
damiandrum.com.au
GREATER SHEPPARTON
GREATER SHEPPARTON SPORTS HALL OF FAME he was able to achieve in his own backyard.” Bull said Lyle had a strong following, not just in Shepparton but across the country. “ … His popularity in the US was absolutely unbelievable and a lot of people in Australia actually don’t realise how popular he was in America … Not just the fact that he had survived the diagnosis of leukaemia on two occasions, but it was the manner in which he conducted himself on the golf course. “He was extremely popular … Jarrod had the attitude and personality to say ‘I’m here for a good time, I’m going to enjoy myself and I’m going to do right by people’ and that’s what Jarrod always did.” He said Lyle always had time for others. “I was with Jarrod at the Shriners (Hospital for) Children (Open) tournament in Las Vegas … and there was a fellow standing outside the media tent wanting to speak to Jarrod,” Bull said.
SPORTS
“ … He was saying his father was going through acute myeloid leukaemia … and he wanted to let Jarrod know that he was an inspiration to his family and also his father, who was gravely ill. “Jarrod gave freely of his time and spoke to the family for 20 minutes, half‑an‑hour. “When Jarrod walked away … the father took me aside and said: ‘I can’t believe Jarrod Lyle would talk to me and share his experiences’ ― but that was the sort of guy Jarrod was.” It was that generosity of spirit that made Lyle want to give back to Challenge, the charity for kids with cancer, which helped him when he was first diagnosed. “Jarrod became an ambassador for Challenge and he wore his heart on his sleeve and proudly supported the organisation as best he could, and that continues to this day,” Bull said.
Wendy Lovell MP
Liberal Member for Northern Victoria Region
Congratulations to the latest inductees to the GSCC Sports Hall of Fame and Honour Rolls. Working hard for a stronger future for the Goulburn Valley For assistance with State Government issues, please contact my office
p: (03) 5821 6668 e: wendy.lovell@parliament.vic.gov.au WendylovellMP
WendylovellMP
Authorised by Wendy Lovell MP, 222 Wyndham Street Shepparton. Funded from Parliamentary Budget Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022 Page 11
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aquamoves.com.au
Congratulations to the 26 inductees to the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame – Honour Roll and Junior Honour Roll Your determination, success and contribution to your chosen sport will give inspiration for future generations to strive for their sporting dreams. The News has been reporting on sporting legends since 1877 and is proud to be a presenting partner with Greater Shepparton City Council for the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame.
sheppnews.com.au
Page 12 Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022
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Emma O’Keeffe Sport aerobics Two minutes is all that separates mediocrity and marvel in the art of sport aerobics. Which means Emma O’Keeffe, Shepparton’s finest exponent of the form, has spent a lifetime ensuring a foot is never out of place. How else could she have become world champion? An obscure, but strenuous, variant of gymnastics, even O’Keeffe struggles to explain the sport. “It’s similar to gymnastics, but there’s no equipment,” O’Keeffe said. “It’s bodyweight, fitness, strength and flexibility — showing that all in a two‑ minute routine and making it look like it doesn’t hurt. “You get marked artistically, so you’ve got to do it with a smile on your face.” O’Keeffe has had plenty to smile about. Her love affair with sport aerobics began in 2002, when a lively Goulburn Valley Grammar School troupe shook
the auditorium with a captivating display. “Straight away it just intrigued me,” she said. “I couldn’t look away — and since that day I’ve never looked back.” Nineteen years of effort sprang from that day. Sculpting her body to suit the sport’s rigour has been a daily mountain to climb, and when it comes time to prepare for a state, national or international event, the mountain gets higher. “When I’m heading to a world championship, I’m training five times a week here in the studio, plus four times a week with a personal trainer,” she said. “It really ramps up, but it is just to get to that level of fitness you need for a crazy, intense two‑minute routine.” Possessing an astounding drivetrain, O’Keeffe twisted and gyrated her way to the world stage where, in 2012, she reached the pinnacle her sporting life had been angled toward scaling.
Up until that point O’Keeffe had been a “bridesmaid” of the sport, where that elusive gold medal came agonisingly close on too many occasions. But in front of the judges in New Zealand’s capital, everything clicked. “It felt rewarding; you could feel the hard work on the stage,” she said. “The routine’s easier — not that it is easy — but I felt really prepared standing backstage. “That was always my goal, standing backstage and knowing whether I come first or last, I’ve done everything I can. That was what happened in Wellington.” Tasting the champagne outside her home nation came with a hint of irony, but she’d finally got her hands on the crown she’d been keen to wear since she was a girl. “To get to the world stage, that was always my dream,” she said. “I remember being 13 years old and saying I wanted to represent Australia one day in this sport.”
Since that storied day in 2012, O’Keeffe never let her foot fall off the pedal. She is ingraining that fervour into the next crop of sports aerobics hopefuls at her studio, Peak Physique. “I believe that if you really want it, I don’t see why you can’t have it,” she said. “I say to my kids it took me nine years to win my first gold medal — from there it was pretty consistent, but it took me that long to get there.” Scaling the podium with students in tow is now O’Keeffe’s dream. “My ultimate goal would be to compete at the worlds with my kids alongside me,” she said. “I see little bits in them that I remember; being at that age feeling defeated but knowing not to give up. I love that process and the journey of the sport.”
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Steele Sidebottom
AFL
Steele Sidebottom was sports mad from an early age. The youngest of five boys, he lived and breathed sport growing up. Whether it was under the clothesline in the backyard or at Tallygaroopna Recreation Reserve, a Sherrin was never far away, nor was a tennis racquet or cricket bat. “It was always sport at our house growing up,” Collingwood star Sidebottom, 30, said. “Sport has been a big factor of my life and it’s had a big influence on my family. “The back fence at our house backed onto a paddock which was next to the footy ground, so if we weren’t at home, we were over at the footy oval kicking the footy or playing cricket.” It was clear from early on that young Steele was destined to do great things in his chosen sport.
Sidebottom dabbled in tennis — he won multiple Shepparton Junior Tennis Association titles — and rolled the arm over in cricket. But it was footy that captured his heart. “I actually remember the first time I played,” he said. “There used to be a lightning premiership that was held out at Shepp East years ago. A friend from Tally played in the under‑14s at Congupna and he asked me and (brother) Ryan to play. “We didn’t know anyone, and we just rocked up with our boots and I think we actually won the premiership. “That was the first time I put on The Road jumper and then I never left.” One of his favourite memories during his youth is the 2007 under‑17 premiership with The Road. “The thirds at Congupna ended up winning the flag that year. I was
Congratulations from the team at Gagliardi Scott Real Estate to the inductees of the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame.
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GREATER SHEPPARTON SPORTS HALL OF FAME fortunate enough to be a part of it and I’m still really close mates with a lot of those boys,” he said. As a teenager Sidebottom’s talents earned him spots in junior Vic Country and Murray Bushrangers outfits. In the 2008 TAC Cup Grand Final, a fresh‑faced Sidebottom booted 10 goals and spearheaded the Bushrangers to glory on the back of a best‑on performance. Then, Collingwood selected him with pick 11 in the 2008 AFL draft. Sidebottom has since carved out an extraordinary AFL career. More than 250 appearances for the Magpies, a premiership player, two‑time Copeland Trophy winner, vice‑captain since 2015, runner‑up in the Brownlow Medal and All‑Australian in 2018. “It’s something that every young kid who wants to play footy dreams of,” Sidebottom said of the premiership win. “I was very fortunate to win one in my second year and I think if I was to get another one now, I would be very thankful and take it in a lot more.” Now, Sidebottom has chalked up another personal accolade: He will be inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame.
Sidebottom thanked his parents Linda and Noel, junior coaches and his partner Alisha for their support. “I don’t just magically appear here on my own doing, there are a lot of people who helped me over the journey,” he said. Although the superstar footballer still has plenty more seasons left up his
CONGRATULATIONS After experiencing two years of a pandemic, we have felt the impact of the loss of regional sport.
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sleeve, a return to where it all began is not out of the question. “The whole country footy and netball scene, spending a day at the footy is something I miss and, hopefully, one day I might be able to play a few games back home. Hopefully I have a few more years left at the Pies before I make that decision.”
Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. Congratulations to all of you and your families, friends, and volunteers who have supported you in reaching your goals.
Our local sporting clubs are the lifeblood of our community, and the participants help make the Shepparton district the vibrant and successful community it is today.
You should be extremely proud of your personal sporting achievements, which are celebrated by the entire community.
In our sporting community, we have some standout participants who have been awarded the prestigious induction to the Greater
We would all like to congratulate our Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame inductees.
Suzanna Sheed MP Sheed MP Suzanna
INDEPENDENT MEMBER FOR SHEPPARTON DISTRICT
INDEPENDENT MEMBER FOR SHEPPARTON DISTRICT
Phone: (03) 5831 6944 Phone: (03) 5831 6944 www.suzannasheed.com.au www.suzannasheed.com.au @SheedSuzanna @SuzannaSheed @SheedSuzanna
@SuzannaSheed
Funded from Parliamentary Budget. Authorised by:Parliamentary Suzanna Sheed, 5 Vaughan St, Shepparton VICSheed, 3630. 5 Vaughan St, Shepparton VIC 3630. Funded from Budget. Authorised by: Suzanna
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John Sutherland
Trap shooting
John Sutherland is considered something of an enigma. Regarded at his peak as “positively the best shot on the planet” by international shooting critic John Melan, surprisingly you won’t find the name John Sutherland in the record books of national and international trap shooting. Rather it was “Calrossie” who gathered all the acclaim, with Sutherland choosing not to shoot under his own name. From humble beginnings at Katandra to the extravagance of Monte Carlo, Sutherland’s storied career as a trap shooter had him amass more than 100 championships in Australia, and numerous records across the globe. Sutherland once said: “It was as natural to me as swimming is to a fish. It’s a matter of judgement, good eyesight, steady nerves and practice.” Born in 1878 at Wallan, Sutherland was two years old when his family moved to Katandra. Shooting game on his walk to and from school, Sutherland later went on to win his Marksmanship Badge as a teenager, before competing in his first shoot — a pigeon match — at 17 in Shepparton. Failing to get beyond four rounds, it took Sutherland some time to adjust to proper smokeless cartridges and a more appropriate firearm loaned to him before beginning to figure in the prize‑winners. Sutherland won his first championship in 1901 at Kerang before winning his first Australian championship in 1906. Leaving Katandra about 1905 for Gippsland to become manager at Calrossie Butter Factory, it was there that Sutherland’s lifelong pseudonym was born. With many of the factory’s men named John or Jack, nicknames were often used, such as “Long John” and “Tall Jack”. Sutherland became known as Calrossie Jack. Two years later, Sutherland started a 25‑year tenure with ammunition manufacturer Kynoch, a serendipitous partnership as the shooter often didn’t need to pay for cartridges. In 1928, Calrossie set sail for a world tour starting with the capital of trap shooting, Monte Carlo. There, he set a new world record of 128 birds straight, also winning aggregate for the season before going
on to win championships in England, France and Italy. Calrossie’s career spanned 57 years; his last live trap shoot was in 1958 as an 80‑year‑old. Sutherland lived most of his life in Ormond with wife Isabelle and sons Leslie, Donald and Keith, before later remarrying after Isabelle’s death in 1942. Sutherland’s granddaughter Paula Bongetti (daughter of Donald) said she didn’t know much of her grandfather’s achievements as a shooter until more recently but had fond memories of him before he died in 1968 when she was 12. “I remember walking into his house in Ormond and the hallway was just full of trophies and silver trays and glasses that he had won over the years of him shooting,” Bongetti said. But after learning more of her grandfather’s sporting achievements, Bongetti said she couldn’t be more proud. “We wish we had more time to sit and talk to him about his achievements,” she said. “It was remarkable.” Sutherland has been honoured by the Australian National Clay Target Association and was inducted into the Australian Trap Shooters Hall of Fame in 2011. Now, he is being recognised in his home region, inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. For Bongetti and her extended family, the honour is bittersweet. “It’s sad it happens to people and they’re not here to see,” she said. “But we are incredibly proud that he’s been thought of and inducted into all these different halls of fame.”
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Bryan Thomson
Motorsport
If you were listing names of motorsport fame in the Goulburn Valley, Bryan Thomson’s name was often at the top of the list. That was because Thomson was the first Shepparton race driver to compete overseas and he drove against the leaders in Australian motorsport. He competed in all the major races and won the Australian Sports Sedan GT Championship in 1985. He finished third in the James Hardie 12‑hour event at Bathurst in 1991 and the Sandown 250 in 1975. He also competed in the Australian Endurance Championships, Australian Sports Car Championships and Australian Touring Car Championships as well as Formula One. While he raced in many classes with many vehicles, there was one car that stood out. “The Molina Monza was sensational,” Thomson said. “It was the Batmobile of the time. “It was a stunning car, a classic car and nothing we have had since was as sexy as the Molina Monza.” While he made a name for himself on four wheels, which he began in 1959, Thomson started his motorsport career with motorcycles. “In our day cars were beyond the average youngster, so we all graduated from push bikes to motorbikes,” he said. “I started on a 1938 Ariel Sidevalve and then I bought, renovated and sold 21 motorcycles before I was 21. “When I look back on it now, that started me off in my motor industry career.” When asked about his first two‑wheel race, Thomson recalled it like it was yesterday. “The Halsalls, who were the motorcycle dealers, they used to run mud scrambles (grass track racing) … around Raftery Rd and the riverbanks and I started with that in 1953,” he said. While the Bathurst track is the pinnacle of motor racing, Thomson said Calder Park Motorsport Complex held a special place in his heart. “Bathurst is the biggest challenge … Every race driver in the world talks about Bathurst … But Calder was close to my heart. “It was a track with very big crowds and a small circuit and Winton was our home track. “Calder was big‑time in our era because you got to race with the national drivers instead of just the country drivers.”
One of the many highlights of Thomson’s career was competing in the Australian Touring Car Championships, although, as he explains, it nearly broke the bank. “I had two years in the Australian Touring Car Championships with the first Camaro,” he said. “We weren’t factory sponsored, and so we had to pay everything out of our own pocket and I didn’t have the budget to compete at that level. “The car was successful — it was the right car at the right time. “I think we had eight wins with the Camaro and we were against (Allan) Moffat and (Bob) Jane and all the factory supported drivers, but that almost broke the bank.” While he was known for his circuit track work, Thomson also raced in rally events, including Targa Tasmania, but said he would prefer track events out of the two. “Targa Tasmania is another challenge,” he said. “I like to go around a circuit four or five times and have a look at it first before we have a real go. “But in rallying you do everything by the seat of your pants.” When asked about being inducted into the hall of fame, Thomson said it was great to be recognised for his contributions to the sport.
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Raelee Thompson
Cricket
To represent her country at the highest level is one of the greatest things to ever happen to former Australian Test captain Raelee Thompson. But to do it overseas was even better. “It’s enthralling, thrilling, it’s something you can’t describe,” Thompson said. Representing Australia in 16 Tests and 23 international one‑day matches from 1972 to 1985, there is little doubt Thompson deserves her spot in the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. “For it to be your own town … for them to recognise you is very humbling,” Thompson said. “It’s an honour.” It wasn’t until Form 4 at Shepparton High School that Thompson took up the game that captured her heart. “Cricket was introduced by the then‑sports mistress, Patty Beckwith,” Thompson said. Moving to Melbourne in 1966 at 21, Thompson took the first steps towards state and national selections. “I was introduced to a lady, Dawn Rae, who played with Collingwood,” she said. “She’d played in Victorian teams, so that’s how I started; I went to Collingwood and away I went. “It was only a matter of about three years until I was playing in Vic seconds. That was my start.” Making the Victorian team with best friends Margaret Jennings and Lorraine Hill, Thompson then made the leap to the Australian team alongside Jennings in 1972. Hill made her way into the side a year later, with all three heading off to England in 1973 for the first World Cup. “It was rather fruitless because we didn’t win,” Thompson said. It was the friendships that made more of an impact on Thompson. “It’s your teammates … and it’s the people you meet.” For 13 years Thompson played in the Australian Test team before getting a captain’s call‑up in her last series. “I was the more experienced person, so I grabbed the opportunity and we won the series.” Tied 1–1 against England, the final Test of the series would later become Thompson’s career highlight. Played at Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo, Thompson took 5–33 with the ball on opening day to set up the 2–1 series win.
Following her time in the national team, Thompson went back to club cricket for another decade, while also serving as an Australian selector and delegate to the cricket council. Continuing her time in the sport to this day at Essendon Maribyrnong Park (EMP), Thompson, alongside Jennings and Hill, remain keen onlookers at games, while also coaching several up‑and‑coming players. Thompson believes the sport is different now. “We used to fly cattle class, we stayed with two or three to a hotel room and we had to pay for everything,” she said. “Now … there are people for everything; coaches, a doctor, a dietitian, fitness conditioning, media … Then there is the money; they get paid now.” But while there is added professionalism now, Thompson admits she wouldn’t have preferred her time any other way. “There was pleasure and achievement and things gained in our days even without all the trimmings,” she said. Thompson said it was “personal pride” that kept players striving to improve. “It was your own initiative. We’d do extra things in the days where there was no extra practices and fitness.” Thompson and her teammates are now comprehending their standing as trailblazers in the sport. “We do feel that; we were trailblazers and proud of it,” she said. “We used to set a standard … We wanted to do our best and be the best.”
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Stephen Tingay
AFL
Football followers in Shepparton took notice when a blond-haired dasher started to show his brilliance. It didn’t take long for Stephen Tingay to be snapped up by AFL recruiters, and he found himself landing at Melbourne after the club selected him with pick 50 in the 1987 National Draft. Interestingly, from Melbourne’s first two draft meetings, Tingay was the only Victorian player chosen from 10 picks. Instead, Melbourne’s first four players selected in 1986 were from Tasmania, with the rest travelling from South Australia. The club was impressed with Tingay’s talent, his pace and his determination. Tingay, who is part of the `first kick, first goal’ club at AFL level, developed into a highly‑skilled winger who was adored by Demons fans. By 1993, he was established as a top Melbourne player and won selection in the Victorian team a year later, playing in the State of Origin clash against South Australia. He was also named in the All‑ Australian team in 1994.
Tingay also finished second in Melbourne’s best‑and‑fairest the same year as he played 24 games and averaged 22.5 disposals. He played 162 games for the Demons and kicked 84 goals across his career, and his achievements were enough for the club to honour him with life membership in 1998. Unfortunately, Tingay’s time in the AFL was cut short by injury. Chronic hip problems and hamstring injuries curtailed his career, so much so that Essendon great Matthew Lloyd listed him, in an interview on Sportsday Radio in 2018, as one of seven players whose careers were interrupted or ended by injury, barring them from reaching their potential. After missing Melbourne’s run to the grand final in 2000 due to ongoing injury problems, the Demons let Tingay go before he was picked up in the 2001 pre‑season draft by Sydney.
However, further issues with his body meant he never played a game for the Swans.
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David Waite
Volleyball
Being too old to play under-14 football led David Waite to a successful career in a sport he’d never heard of: Volleyball. The Shepparton product has been nominated for induction into Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame and Waite said he always had an appetite for representing his state or country in sport. “I was quite fortunate that my father was a pistol shooter and he shot for Victoria and so I saw him wearing his state uniform when I was younger and I was like ‘I wouldn’t mind representing Victoria or even Australia one day’,” Waite said. “I had no idea what sport (I wanted to compete in) and it’s a unique experience to be allowed to play a sport you love and travel the world.” Waite explained how volleyball became his sport of choice. “(My passion) Probably started when I was at high school,” he said. “Back in those days, when I was 14, the cut‑off to play under‑14s football was June 30 and my birthday is July 2. “All of my friends were able to play football in the age competition, but I couldn’t because I was too old, so I looked for another sport to play and
there was a couple of guys in Year 9 that were putting a junior team together, so I joined the team and from there played volleyball. “I must admit I had to ask what it was. “When I went home, I said to Dad ‘I’m going to play volleyball’ and he said ‘great, what do you use, a stick, a bat or ball?’ (I didn’t know the answer).” While a broken leg ended his career in 1999, Waite still had plenty of highlights to share gained from about 15 years of competing. “It may sound like a cliché but being a part of a team and competing was a bit of a highlight,” he said. “For a little kid from the country to be able to fill three passports playing sport, something I loved, and travelling around the world was just phenomenal … the world championships, Asian championships, Olympic qualifiers, trips to Russia and China in the early days.” While he enjoyed the team environment, one of Waite’s biggest achievements was winning the most valuable player award in 1994. “In 1994, I was awarded Australia’s most valuable player,” he said. “I took that as a significant achievement, not just a significant achievement for me, but for everyone
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who supported me through the whole journey — Mum, Dad, family. “Those early mornings when Dad would get up and drive me to Melbourne for state training — without that, none of that would ever have taken place.” While the two‑time Australian Institute of Sport scholarship winner didn’t compete at the Olympics, Waite did commentate the volleyball at the Sydney event in 2000 and Athens in 2004. “The commentary was really enjoyable,” he said. When asked what it meant to be
nominated for the hall of fame, Waite said it was an honour. “It’s a bit of an honour really because Shepp has had some amazing athletes,” he said. “People have competed on the world stage across all their sports. “To be recognised is quite amazing and it’s also quite amazing recognition for what we would probably classify in Australia as a minor sport; it’s not football, not cricket, it’s not tennis, so to have someone from volleyball recognised is great for the sport as well.”
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Adem Yze AFL
As one of the first footballers of Albanian heritage to take their skills to AFL level, Adem Yze played at the highest level for 13 years, playing 271 games and kicking 234 goals. Since his retirement in 2008, Yze has spent time as a playing assistant coach at VFL club Box Hill, returned to play in Goulburn Valley League, where his career started, and more recently has performed roles as assistant coach at AFL clubs Hawthorn and now Melbourne, the club he played his entire career for. Yze achieved many things throughout his career, including being named as an All‑Australian in 2002, the year he finished third in the Brownlow Medal and represented Australia in the International Rules series. He also won Melbourne’s best‑ and‑fairest award in 2001 and was a member of Melbourne’s grand final team that lost to Essendon in 2000. But one of his biggest achievements, a run of 226 consecutive games, was clouded in controversy as he closed in on the record of most consecutive games by a player at that level. As Yze approached the record held by the late Jim Stynes (244 consecutive games), a below‑par performance to start the 2007 season led to speculation Yze was saving himself for the record rather than performing at his normal high standard. “I had a conversation with (then coach) Neale Daniher after that game; entering the season the media were beating it up about whether I would break the record,” Yze said in 2018. “We lost round one, the whole focus was on me and whether I should be dropped or not and Neale was wanting
to know how I was dealing with the pressure. “I said ‘If I deserve to play I will, if not then I don’t’. “In the end, I got the call on Thursday and they thought it was better to not play me and I’ll come back the next week — which looking at it now as a coach, it was the right thing to do. “I would rather miss a game than people think that I was backing out of the contest to reach a record that I didn’t really care about.” Following his playing career, Yze was an assistant coach under Hawthorn coach Alistair Clarkson for eight years and now helps in Melbourne Football Club’s resurgence up the ladder. But despite admitting in 2018 in an article with The News that he had ambitions “to go as far as I can in coaching”, that wasn’t always the case. “It is a funny situation, I never really thought I would until I was involved in the leadership group at Melbourne,” Yze said in that 2018 interview. “It was there where I started helping out some of the younger players and then I started enjoying the development side of things.” Yze’s break, or moment of luck, came when Clarkson was admitted to hospital after a back injury that was later diagnosed as Guillain–Barre syndrome in May 2014. Then assistant coach Brendon Bolton became the interim senior coach, allowing Yze to fill Bolton’s shoes as a line coach. “It was a little fortunate, but the jump into the actual coaches’ box struck a nerve and from then I knew I wanted to be involved a lot more,’’ Yze said. Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022 Page 21
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Dennis and Barry Myers
Speedway racing
When it came to his enthusiasm for fast cars, Dennis Myers never had a choice — he was born to race. Dennis Myers grew up with speedway racing in his blood, and across his years in the sport compiled a long list of achievements. “I was the first baby born into the Goulburn Valley Auto Club back in the ‘60s and I started racing in 1985 and finished racing in 2008,” Dennis said. “I’ve won two Australian championships, six Victorian titles, a NSW championship, there’s a series we run nationally I’ve won 10 times — just a lot of racing. “Particularly when I was a kid it was my life, when we did art I drew race cars, when we wrote essays in English I wrote about race cars.” Dennis Myers’ dominance at many
levels is why he is being inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame next month. But making the occasion even more special for the speedster is that he will join its ranks alongside his father, Barry. “If you ask me, I’m not the best driver in my family; my dad is,” Dennis said. Barry — one of the founders of Goulburn Valley Auto Club — was a star behind the wheel as well, dominating the regional Victorian racing scene in the 1970s and snaring the prized title of Victorian Sprint Car Champion along the way. But having his name on the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame honour roll rivals any of his achievements in the driver’s seat, according to Barry. “Of all the titles I have won, all of the trophies I’ve got and all the good races I remember, I think to be nominated
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for this is probably one of the best (feelings) — it’s up there with winning the state title,” Barry said. “(I got into speedway racing) by accident. I went to what they called at that time hot rod racing in 1965 and a friend of mine and I decided ‘that’s easy, we can do that’ … Between that meeting and the next, which was at Wangaratta, we bought an old stock car and we turned up at the next meeting. “I ran second‑last, and he ran last. We decided ‘there must be something about this speedway racing that we don’t know’ ― and to be honest, I think I spent the next 40 years trying to find what it was.” Dennis is also humbled to be named among the region’s most prominent sporting stars — but initially thought he was the victim of an elaborate prank.
“It’s a pretty humbling experience to be nominated,” he said. “When we got the phone call, we thought ‘that can’t be right, someone’s taking the mickey out of us’ … (there’s) Olympians, Olympic medallists, Commonwealth Games medallists, world champions and stuff — we’re just race car drivers.” For the father‑son duo the GVAC has been an extension of their family unit for decades, and both take great pride in its continued success. “Speedway has been great to me and great to my family,” Barry said. “It was a family thing, my wife was totally involved, she was a lap counter and timekeeper for years, Dennis and his brother were my pit crew most of the time and my helpers at home when we were preparing the car or repairing the car, so it was a big part of our family life.”
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Aiden Blizzard Cricket
With a swag of cricket highlights to choose from, Shepparton’s Aiden Blizzard has no hesitation in picking the biggest of them all: The night he stood on the boundary of Wankhede Stadium, home of the Indian Premier League’s Mumbai Indians, alongside batting partner and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. “We walked out together, and, at that moment, I felt like I was in another body,” Blizzard said. “I was spellbound. But after six balls I came to, and suddenly remembered we ― I ― had a game of cricket to win.” With the pressure of expectation off the Richter scale, even the weather seemed to be conspiring against Blizzard. “The temperature was through the roof, humidity through the roof, the screaming, to walk out to that with Sachin — I don’t know if there’s anything else a cricketer from Shepparton could ask for, really.” Now, three years after Blizzard walked away from cricket to get on with the rest of his life, he remains the most decorated local to have gripped the willow. Blizzard played 98 T20 games in his career; scored 2043 runs and averaged 24.6 with a strike rate of 154.1. He had two parts to his cricketing career: as the guy most likely to be dropped from any game going longer than two days; and as the hard‑hitting batsman in demand for T20 sides across Australia and the world. By the time he retired, Blizzard had four T20 titles with one each for Victoria, the Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League and, of course, India. Commentators still talk about the delivery he latched on to at the WACA while playing for Victoria. He timed it to such perfection it went so far it needed a passport — landing more than 130 m away and still regarded by many as one of the biggest hits in the history of the game. Blizzard made a career out of being the fringe player selected in every squad, meaning he was dropped more times than he played. “I’ve been picked for some teams and been told five minutes before the toss I’m not playing,” he said.
“There’s been other times where I’ve been called up literally in the last minute. “But I reckon the ability to continue to bounce back and bring my number‑ one self to any situation was my best attribute.” Blizzard’s hardiness was forged on Shepparton’s wickets, from juniors at Shepparton Youth Club onwards. “As a youngster, a lot of kids struggled to hit the ball off the square and I was lucky that I could time the ball well and was quite strong,” he said. Commuting between home and Melbourne for cricket as an 18‑year‑ old only lasted a short while before Blizzard decided to take the plunge and head to the United Kingdom and county cricket. “That was the start of my true journey of the pursuit of cricket,” he said. “That was an opportunity to get out and see the world, and realising I had a bit of talent, that I could make a bit more of my career than just playing Victorian Premier cricket … I was feeling comfortable and confident.” It was a confidence not enjoyed by opposition bowlers, because when Blizzard was in the middle it nearly always translated to balls exiting the park — culminating in “that” hit at the WACA. “I think we all have unforgettable moments in our careers … and that six at the WACA was definitely one of mine.” Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022 Page 23
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Mathew Higgins
Hockey
Shepparton’s hockey doyen Mathew Higgins can look back with immense pride at a career which spanned nearly two decades at Victorian Premier League club Altona, embellished by more than 100 state caps. It was the physical challenge of hockey which piqued his interest. “I liked the fact that hockey was difficult,” Higgins said. Shepparton Youth Club housed Higgins’ burgeoning love for the game — his first coach Mark ‘Pepi’ Sexton made sure of that — and soon, the watching was over. “Ian Ritchie, who was the coach at the time, invited me down to train with them and from there it just blossomed,” Higgins said. “I had really good mentors on the field and sideline; Teddy Wayman taught me a lot about how to read and understand the game.” Then, a step up beckoned.
Trialling for the Victorian under‑21 side in Melbourne, Higgins made it to the last round before being outed — but all was not lost. “I was walking out of the hockey centre with my tail between my legs and the Altona coach Gerry Anastasio yelled out from the grandstand, ‘Matthew Higgins, wait there’,” Higgins said. “Gerry came down and introduced himself and said, ‘you’re doing pre‑ season with us, I’ll see you at the club in a week’ — he didn’t give me an option.” The rest, as they say, is history. Still living in Shepparton, Higgins travelled two to three times a week to train with Altona. In round one, Higgins was on the team sheet. “It wasn’t really daunting because it was what I really wanted,” he said. “The training, expectations, how you went about playing — everything was
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100 per cent commitment. “It was the same as how I was raised at SYC.” He was making a name for himself at Altona, so much so that Australian representative Darren Duff asked then Victorian coach Colin Batch to have a look at Higgins. Batch obliged. “He invited me down for a few training sessions and I loved every second of them, but at the same time it was just a new level,” Higgins said. “I was offered a full‑time scholarship … and from there I worked toward making the state team. “We were doing gym and training sessions at any time from 5 am to 8 pm at night and working in between.” Between 1999 and 2008, Higgins maintained a staggering work rate across 108 appearances for Victoria. Nestled right in the middle of that stretch was a “pinch me” moment for Higgins.
“One of the most memorable weekends I had was just before the Sydney Olympics,” he said. “The Netherlands hockey side were acclimatising up in Cairns and, so, Colin Batch organised a team to go up and play them and invited me to go along. “They were the best in the world by a long way at that stage and we played two matches against them. I thought playing in the national comp was fast, but wow, those guys were fantastic.” It was some time after playing against the world’s best before he’d return to his roots, but stepping back down to SYC in 2017 hit home for Higgins. “That was a bit surreal, returning back to the club,” he said. Higgins continues to help out at SYC, but at 44, he’s decided to hang up the stick for good. “It’s been an easy transition; you know when you’ve come to the end of the road, but I do miss it from time to time.”
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Tom Spark Squash
In the sporting world, the term master is not bandied around lightly. Masters are at the pinnacle of their sport, and they are few and far between. In cricket Sachin Tendulkar — the most prolific batsman of all time — is known as The Little Master, and Viv Richards the Master Blaster. In the world of tennis, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have won enough masters that their names are synonymous with the word. Tom Spark is not at the level of these players, but the word master still sticks to him like glue. He won the Victorian Squash Masters Championships 16 times and the Australian Masters a further 12. On the road, he won the World Masters championship for the 35–39 age bracket in 1984, and in 1991 won the 45–49 age group. Spark was introduced to the world of squash in the mid‑1970s by his brother
Wally, while they were teenagers. He was instantly “hooked”. The Bendigo native spent time in Melbourne while he was studying, becoming the number one player in the state and “on the verge of going professional”. However, the sport never quite got big enough for him to make it a full‑ time career. “Even then, during its heyday, there’s not a lot of money in it, especially if you’re married and with family,” Spark said. So, he kept studying teaching and carpentry and moved to Shepparton in 1982 when the sport was still booming. “Tatura, Kyabram, Numurkah and Shepp all had centres, and the numbers were big,” Spark said. “We had nine courts, quite a lot of juniors playing the sport, but now we’ve only got Shepparton and Tongala has a couple (of courts) at the school.”
He continued to play, but when the masters were introduced Spark’s ears pricked up. “After playing open squash, when I hit about 35 the masters were introduced,” Spark said. “It was a great idea as when you hit that age a lot of people start to drop off the sport a bit.” Crucially, it meant he didn’t have to compete with the young bucks who were trying to make it professionally or able to train far more than he was while working full‑time. He said the community really got behind the idea of a masters tournament. “The numbers are huge, and every second year they have a world masters which will travel around the world.” Spark played in three world masters and won two of them, and lined up in countless state and Australian competitions. He said he loved the camaraderie of the competitions.
“They give that great social atmosphere, but for those who are still really keen it becomes a challenge,” he said. “For me it was an incentive to keep going … When I was in opens I was playing against players who were professional and I was working and playing, but when you step into masters everyone’s doing the same.” There are players in their 80s still active, and Spark said he would love to be in that position decades into the future. “I hope so,” he said. Spark spent years coaching juniors and teenagers at the start of their squash journey and has put weight behind organising and helping squash as a sport throughout Victoria. He said he was honoured to be recognised and inducted into the hall of fame honour roll.
“You don’t do it for that reward, you just do it for the enjoyment of the sport.”
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Val Sutherland Netball
In 1951 a shy teenager fell head over heels for netball. A lot has changed in seven decades; but that teenager, Val Sutherland, is yet to lose her love for the game. Sutherland has filled almost every role under the sun at Shepparton Netball Association, coached Country Week winning teams, been a rebellious rule‑breaker and nurtured some of the sport’s biggest names. She has umpired countless games, was awarded the Australian Sports Medal and even risked financial ruin for the SNA. “I really enjoy it and that’s why I’m still there,” Sutherland, 83, said. The dedicated volunteer’s time with the sport began in peculiar fashion. “My first game of netball came when it was still called basketball and I was 13,” Sutherland said. “But you weren’t allowed to play until you were 14, so I actually played my first game of netball illegally.” It’s easy to see why Sutherland’s
name is synonymous with SNA, with which she holds a life membership. She has been a player, coach, umpire, administrator, president, vice‑president, treasurer and selector of Country Week and Country Victoria teams. “I think I’ve held every role except secretary,” Sutherland said. One story that perfectly sums up Sutherland’s unwavering support for SNA is when the association moved its court base to McEwen Reserve, Shepparton. Sutherland and a band of fellow volunteers put their hard‑earned on the line to help out. “The SNA had to pay dollar for dollar before it became an incorporated body,” Sutherland said. “When we moved to the new courts, several of us, I think about five in total, were asked to be guarantors. We thought after, ‘how brave were we’ if it all went defunct and we were going to have to pay for all of that money.” SNA has been the birthing ground
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for many elite players and officials; chances are, Sutherland was there to help show them the ropes. “To see some of the players you coached in the past go on and do great things is a highlight,” she said. Her coaching days consisted of stints with Shepparton High, Dans, Supremes, Ardmona, Mooroopna, Shepparton North and Gowrie St. Three A‑grade premierships came during her time as a mentor, while Sutherland was the mastermind behind Shepparton’s first senior Country Week premiership in 1972. In 1987, Sutherland was appointed a level one coach by the All Australia Netball Association. But her work with whistle in hand as an umpire is what stands out most for Sutherland. Sutherland gained her C‑grade and B‑grade umpire badges while still playing the game. She then earned a state A‑grade badge in 1965, becoming only the second local umpire at the time to do so.
The ability to grade and test umpires came next and Sutherland was soon ticking off the grading checklist. The umpiring extraordinaire still helps with mentoring the next crop of umpires. “Now I’ve sort of semi‑retired and I mentor young umpires,” Sutherland said. “I still enjoy it. You just get a lot of pleasure out of seeing them improve.” Sutherland’s service to netball in the Goulburn Valley was recognised in 2000 with the prestigious Australian Sports Medal. And now, her remarkable contribution to the sport is to be further acknowledged with induction to the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame Honour Roll. “I can’t believe it … I’m not really into these individual honours because you do things as a group,” she said. “But it is very exciting, I’m very proud and honoured.”
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Doug Tuhan
Athletics
Decades ago, the boundary line of the Murchison Recreation Reserve oval was a shoulder-width dirt track. It was the work of one man, Doug Tuhan, forged as he ran laps of the boundary. Tuhan will have his name put on the honour roll of the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame next month to celebrate a running and football umpiring career which began in the late 1960s. Tuhan said he was proud to be added to the honour roll; although, running wasn’t his first choice as a sport. After a fumble at football with Stanhope and a crack at cricket at Cooma, Tuhan came to a realisation: “I was no good at any of them,” he said. “My brother put me on to a bloke who trained runners in Kyabram. I ummed and ahhed about it and thought ‘do I or don’t I go?’, but I did, and I went okay.” Tuhan’s running career kicked off at 23 and a few years later he moved to Murchison where he literally left his mark on the town. “There was a brown track around the oval from where I was running on it,” he said. It was only after a gruelling win at Kangaroo Ground in 1969 that other runners began to take notice, with several coaches chasing him with offers to join their stables. Noncommittal at the time, Tuhan said he’d think about it. A month later just one contacted him to see if he was still interested. Fifty‑two years later Tuhan and his coach Ray McCreery are still firm friends. Tuhan trained hard and it paid off when he made his way to the Stawell Gift carnival.
While Tuhan never competed in the famed sprint, he won the 1600 m in 1974 and again in 1989 and won the famed “two mile” 3200 m backmarkers title in 1978, as well as three seconds and two thirds. He was back on the dais in 2002 after claiming the veterans’ 1500 m handicap, and again in 2006 when he was accepted into the Gift’s Hall of Fame in the same year as Cathy Freeman. By the mid‑1970s Tuhan had organised a race of his own, the Murchison 10 km, which attracted up to 100 runners. He and wife Marg ran the race for 40 years with the help of fellow runner and Stawell Gift winner Noel Hussey; it only stopped when the Tuhans moved to Tatura five years ago. Tuhan — then in his late 60s — finished third in the final race. In the process of leaving his mark on the Murchison oval in his twenties, Tuhan was noticed by the football club. Within 12 months, he was running out the seniors and reserves games along the boundary. Forty years later he’s still at the club on a Saturday cheering the Grasshoppers on. “I just love footy,” he said, gesturing to the green grass Murchison calls home every second Saturday. “I spent 40 years here, most as a trainer. It’s just being with people and players that I enjoy.” Tuhan has umpired countless games on the oval, either on the boundary or in the middle, the most recent just last year. He said he loved the camaraderie between players and umpires as well as the running aspect to it, and his only regrets were that he didn’t start earlier, at 17 or 18, and that he wasn’t able to train as many young runners as he would have liked.
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Sam Brown Dance sport
When Shepparton’s Sam Brown takes to the ballroom floor, heads turn. Brown, 18, took out three Australian DanceSport titles in the under‑21 age group at the 2021 Victorian Championships, adding a trio of feathers to a cap startlingly crowded for someone his age. No wonder he’s being lauded as one of the nation’s finest prodigies by DanceSport Australia. And he’s chalked it up in a little more than a decade. “I was seven years old, watching my older brother Rodney enjoying dance and getting results, so I thought I would try,” Brown said. “And as any younger brother does, I was trying to outdo my older brother.” Brown’s competitive edge has been supplemented by an abundance of natural ability. Performing at the highest standard in all age groups he’s danced in has resulted in championship wins at local, state and interstate level and beyond. While he now practises three nights a week with weekend lessons in Melbourne on top, Brown’s first steps on the dance floor were tentative.
“The training was actually pretty light on early, because no kid wants to spend hours a week at the dance studio,” he said with a laugh. His early talent was honed in Shepparton. “Growing up, I was extremely lucky that Excell Dance Studio was around,” he said. “It was a great place to go to and we were fortunate to have that environment in a country town.” He’d soon trip the light fantastic after receiving a rural and regional scholarship from DanceSport Victoria aged 10. Leading the line at Excell at that time was brother and sister duo Jeremy Garner and Amanda Costa. The former took Brown beneath his wing — and Brown would have been hard pressed to find a better mentor. “My coach and mentor, Jeremy Garner, has been a crucial part of my dancing journey since the start,” Brown said. “From teaching me dancing skills, to life lessons, to how to conduct myself — he has been instrumental.” It hasn’t been all plain sailing for Brown, though. Living so far from the state’s dancing epicentre has its challenges.
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“There was a definite disadvantage coming from the country,” Brown said. “We were lucky Jeremy was commuting from Melbourne to be able to give lessons, as he is a very high‑ quality teacher.” Long hours on the road for competitions were rewarded in 2018. Strutting his stuff on the national stage, Brown was crowned Australian DanceSport Champion aged 15 ― his first taste of national glory. “Holding up the trophy and saying, ‘we won this’ was such a great feeling,” he said. The win fuelled Brown’s hunger for more success, however the coronavirus pandemic has put the brakes on dance.
“That was a big roadblock, but we’re on the right track now,” he said. When Brown says we, he is referencing long‑time dance partner Berkley Wood, who resides in Bendigo. “We got together after not dancing for months and it just clicked straight away,” he said. Brown recently moved to Bendigo to study physiotherapy at La Trobe University, bringing him closer to Wood. And though his next destination is not yet set, he is training like there’s no tomorrow for whatever awaits. “Lately it’s been nonstop just trying to practise because I definitely want to take things overseas,” he said. “We’ve had a couple of opportunities to go in the past, but school or even my age has got in the way.”
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Connor Holland
Hockey
Connor Holland’s rise through the state and national hockey ranks continues to impress. Watching him in action on the pitch, you might assume his knack for filling out the highlight reel with a well‑struck goal or a timely chase‑down tackle were talents which came naturally. But if you ask the Shepparton product himself, he tells a different story. “I wasn’t the most talented kid or anything growing up,” Holland said. “But I suppose through hard work and perseverance it sort‑of leapfrogged me against other kids … It’s probably led to a couple of selections down the line.” Holland spent most of his teenage years travelling to play with Essendon Hockey Club when he wasn’t lining up for Shepparton Strikers in Goulburn Valley Hockey Association. “(Essendon) have been very good to me since I’ve gone down, they’ve
taken me under their wing,” he said. “And then moving down to Melbourne they’ve been really supportive with the move … they’ve made me feel like it will be a club of mine for a long time.” Those years of hard work and dedication coincided with steady progression through the Hockey Victoria ranks until his junior career culminated in Australian representation — playing for the national 16‑and‑under schoolboys’ side on a tour of South Africa. It is that achievement which has Holland ready to join the ranks of the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame on the Junior Honour Roll. “That was a pretty surreal experience,” he said. “The whole touring in a different country and that sort of thing and getting used to playing hockey on minimal sleep against a crowd that’s really against you and not having much
support other than a handful of people in the crowd. “Some of the views over there and especially the nature and wildlife over there was pretty unbelievable. We were lucky enough to go play in Cape Town and train there against a couple of local sides.” But if Holland has anything to say about it, his stellar list of achievements is far from complete. Currently in the Victorian Institute of Sport and an extended Australian under‑21 squad, Holland hopes to earn selection in the final Australian under‑21 outfit for the World Cup. His versatility on the pitch certainly helps his chances, because although he is a striker in name and nature when playing in Shepparton, his fast feet and supreme touch make him an asset at either end of the arena. “Probably earlier in the under‑15s or so I was playing as a striker
through to the 18s, but probably as I’ve progressed I’ve become a bit more mature as a hockey player and moved more into the midfield and the backline,” Holland said. “It probably just adds that extra string to your bow.” Holland said each progression he’d made in the sport had given him confidence that he could go further still. “Now the main goal … is hopefully moving to Perth and playing for Australia and playing in the Olympics. “I probably should thank Mum (Paula) and Dad (Peter) with all of the driving and stuff, they’ve been there from the start … A couple of families at Essendon as well for looking after me … Essendon Hockey Club have been huge, as well as the Strikers … “I couldn’t have done it without any of them.”
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Alan Rossignoli Badminton
One day, someone at St Andrew’s Tennis Club asked a 13-year-old Alan Rossignoli if he wanted a hit of badminton. Five years later, he was part of the Victorian side which won the under‑17 titles. A little more than five years after that, after playing in the Silver Bowl against the best players from Australia and New Zealand and several doubles and singles titles later, Rossignoli stepped away from the sport. In those 10 years with a badminton racquet in his hand and a shuttlecock in his sights, Rossignoli played in front of Prince Charles and helped open the Shepparton Indoor Sports Stadium with an exhibition match. He is now being recognised on the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame Junior Honour Role for his feats in the sport. “Being on that honour roll is something I’m proud of and it’s something for my family to be proud of, it’s a credit to them,” Rossignoli said. He said his first time playing — in the under‑14 competition — he wasn’t much chop, but by under‑15s he cleaned up the Shepparton titles under the watchful eyes of Ken Tyquin and others, and eventually made the leap to Melbourne competition. Rossignoli said playing in Melbourne was a bit of a shock after training and playing in low‑ceilinged church halls at home. “Singles was harder because in Melbourne the ceilings are high and they use it to their advantage,” he said. Rossignoli loved playing at higher levels. “I loved the competition. I just wanted to keep getting better and better,” he said. He began playing at Albert Park while at university, cleaning up at tiles in Colac, Bendigo and Ballarat. “Playing senior badminton as a junior was tremendous and really gave me the confidence to have a go at more tournaments,” Rossignoli said. An under‑17 tournament in South Australia followed, with Victoria winning the title. “It showed me the standard around Australia. As I got older and played in statewide competition we were playing against some of the best in the state. “We had the number‑one ranked players in Australia, two or three of the
top five. I was playing against them every second week, makes a huge difference in developing your skills.” From there he went to Newcastle as part of the Silver Bowl international event. “I’d never really been out of Victoria prior to that; it was an extraordinary tournament,” he said. “A number of Victorians came across and I probably beat a number of Victorian players. “I couldn’t believe I managed to compete the whole way through singles, doubles and mixed doubles.” From there Rossignoli, as a 20‑year‑ old, won three titles in the one year — something which had only been done once before — and when a national under‑21 competition was made the next year he captained the Victorian side. “It was a dream come true,” he said. Rossignoli continued to win tournaments, but a few years later he stepped back from the sport. He was married and had a young family, and work commitments. “I still played premier comps in Melbourne, but I didn’t attend the tournaments,” Rossignoli said. With good friend Michael Scandolera and fellow Shepparton product Rhonda Cator both going on to Commonwealth Games, Rossignoli said it made him wonder what could have been, but he doesn’t regret the decision to step away. “You make a decision and move on, but it would have been interesting if I’d put the real effort and time into it,” he said.
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Xavier Russell Clay target shooting Entering the shooting stand, Xavier Russell loads his Blaser F3 shotgun and begins the routine he has performed tens of thousands of times. His eyes narrow in concentration, his breathing slows. His mind is clear of all but the task ahead. Whether at local clay target clubs, or on the international stage, the Mooroopna 19‑year‑old is in his element. One last breath in. Exhale. Bang. The result is nearly the same each time: A successfully smashed clay target. With an extraordinary talent, it’s no mystery why Russell is ranked seventh in the world in the Junior category in sporting clay target shooting. Russell began competitive clay target shooting aged 14. It was on a trip to a local shooting ground with his grandpa, Doug Rogers, that Russell discovered his love for the sport. “My grandfather took me out to a few practice days when I was 14. After that I started shooting at competitions about once or twice a month,” Russell said. “Halfway through Year 9, I started shooting every weekend and competing on Saturdays and Sundays … I love it. I’ve made a lot of great mates. “I’ve enjoyed travelling around. It’s taken me to a few countries now and all over Australia.” Russell’s rise up the ranks has been rapid. Soon after jumping into the sport in 2016, he attended his first national event. He didn’t get the chocolates that time but didn’t have to wait long for his first national junior title, which came in 2017 at age 15 in Geraldton, Western Australia. Russell now has a jaw‑dropping 25 titles ― 10 national, 12 state and three international, with one state and one national title won outright against Open age competition. However, chief among his accomplishments are two world title bronze medals that he claimed in 2019 when representing Australia. Russell placed third in the Junior (under‑21) category at the World English Sporting Championships (in which all targets are thrown in pairs) in Ireland, and a week later
claimed another bronze medal when the Australian junior team placed third at the FITASC Sporting World Championships in England, where he placed 11th in individual competition. “I think my third‑place finish at Ireland in the World English Sporting for juniors and my third at the Sporting World Championships are two that stand out the most,” Russell said. “It’s pretty unreal to wear the Australian colours and represent your country … it’s pretty special.” Russell was not expecting to be inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame Junior Honour Roll. But the humble teenager is happy to be included. “I’m pretty pleased about it, it’s come as a bit of a surprise,” he said. While his achievements are many, the pandemic has stopped Russell from adding more. Nearing top age in the junior category, his hopes of improving on his bronze medal finish at world events were dashed in 2020 and 2021. “(Coronavirus) has put a stop to a lot of the competitions,” he said. “I’ve made the junior (Australian) team for those two world events. It’s pretty upsetting.” But the competitive edge continues to simmer, and the world titles in Italy are on the cards this year. Russell craves a return to international competition, and the chance to see old friends. “I’m pretty keen to do my best and make the junior team in my last year before making the jump to open age,” he said. “I would like to win an overall national title and then hopefully one day win the world title outright.”
“Halfway through Year 9, I started shooting every weekend and competing on Saturdays and Sundays … I love it. I’ve made a lot of great mates.” Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame, February 2022 Page 31
2021 Inductees Hall of Fame COLLIER, Stacey ................................................. Lawn Bowls CROZIER, Terrie .................................................. Lawn Bowls EGAN, Leigh ......................................................... BMX Racing GOSSTRAY, Narelle ........................................... Baseball GROSS, Julie........................................................ Basketball KING, Steven ....................................................... AFL LYLE, Jarrod (dec)............................................... Golf MYERS, Dennis ................................................... Speedway Racing O’KEEFFE, Emma ............................................... Sport Aerobics SIDEBOTTOM, Steele ....................................... AFL SUTHERLAND, John (dec)............................... Trap Shooting THOMPSON, Raelee ......................................... Cricket THOMSON, Bryan .............................................. Motorsport TINGAY, Stephen ................................................ AFL WAITE, David ....................................................... Volleyball YZE, Adem ............................................................ AFL Honour Roll BLIZZARD, Aiden ............................................... Cricket HIGGINS, Mathew .............................................. Hockey MYERS, Barry ...................................................... Speedway Racing SPARK, Tom ......................................................... Squash SUTHERLAND, Val ............................................. Netball TUHAN, Doug...................................................... Athletics Junior Honour Roll BROWN, Sam....................................................... Dance Sport HOLLAND, Connor............................................. Hockey ROSSIGNOLI, Alan ............................................. Badminton RUSSELL, Xavier ................................................ Clay Target Shooting