NQ Sports Foundation
Proud to be North Queensland
NORTH QUEENSLAND SPORTSTAR AWARDS
The inaugural Sportstar Awards were held in 1991, to celebrate the sporting performances of 1990. The aim of the awards is to recognise the efforts of the best junior and senior sports people in North Queensland and to encourage them to go onto greater heights.
The North Queensland Sports Foundation looks forward to hosting the next Business Technology Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards in Richmond on 14 May 2011.
The Awards are given in junior, senior and service to North Queensland Sport categories. Each member Local Government Authority (LGA) throughout North Queensland is eligible to submit a nominee in each category. In an attempt to create a true North Queensland Status, every member L.G.A. also has the opportunity to host the gala event. The winner of the senior award may* also be submitted as a nominee to the Queensland Sports Awards conducted by the Queensland Sports Federation and the possibility of progressing to the National Awards. 1997 senior winner Wayne Mawer of Cairns (World Champion Water-skier) and in 2009 Ashleigh Stebbeings (World Champion Barefoot Waterskier) went on to win both the State and National Awards. The Awards are given in junior and senior categories. Local Authorities throughout the region are eligible to nominate a senior and a junior sportsperson in these Awards.
Business Technology Centre, Townsville proudly sponsor these Awards providing the generous prize money for the major winners. Other major sponsors include media partner WIN Television.
| Previous Winners of the Senior Award | |||
| 1990 | Brad Beven | Mulgrave Shire | Triathlon |
| 1991 | Gisela Clayton | Townsville City | Archery |
| 1992 | Brad Beven | Mulgrave Shire | Triathlon |
| 1993 | Brad Beven | Mulgrave Shire | Triathlon |
| 1994 | Brad Beven | Mulgrave Shire | Triathlon |
| 1995 | Karrie Webb | Burdekin Shire | Golf |
| 1996 | Michael Ronning | Cairns City | Mountain Bike |
| 1997 | Wayne Mawer | Cairns City | Water Skiing |
| 1998 | Lance Kelly | Herberton Shire | Rodeo |
| 1999 | Jo Hamilton | Cairns City | Water Skiing |
| 2000 | Natarsha Williams | Johnstone Shire | BMX |
| 2001 | Scott Bower | Townsville City | Taekwondo |
| 2002 | Dianne Reeves | Carpentaria Shire | Clay Target Shooting |
| 2003 | Zoe Tonks | Cairns City | Swimming |
| 2004 | Nigel Paul | Flinders Shire | Taekwondo Do |
| 2005 | Chloe MacPherson | Mackay City | Cycling |
| 2006 | Tracey Hannah | Cairns City | Mountain Biking |
| 2007 | Penny Palfrey | Townsville City | Long Distance Swimming |
| 2008 | Ashleigh Stebbeings | Mackay Regional | Barefoot water Skiing |
| 2009 | Ashleigh Stebbeings | Mackay Regional | Barefoot water Skiing |
| Previous Winners of the Junior Award | |||
| 1990 | Julie Majer | Cairns City | Swimming |
| 1991 | Julie Majer | Cairns City | Swimming |
| 1992 | Bernard Panton | Cairns City | Cycling |
| 1993 | Dane Pilcher | Thuringowa City | Athletics |
| 1994 | Leano Viero | Burdekin Shire | Athletics |
| 1995 | Clint Lawson | Burdekin Shire | Boxing |
| 1996 | Cindy Morgan | Cairns City | Hockey |
| 1997 | Michael Arcidiacono | Mareeba Shire | Squash |
| 1998 | Courtney Hanson | Mount Isa City | BMX |
| 1999 | Ronnie Dugdell | Cairns City | BMX |
| 2000 | Jane Bennett | Mackay City | Hockey |
| 2001 | Jessica Affleck | Townsville City | Swimming |
| 2002 | Chris Elphinstone | Bowen Shire | Swimming |
| 2003 | Chloe Jackson | Cairns City | Gymnastics |
| 2004 | Kim Carroll | Cardwell Shire | Football (Soccer) |
| 2005 | James Edgar | Mount Isa City | Judo |
| 2006 | Kimberley Juides | Cairns City | Ice Hockey |
| 2007 | Jacinta Powell | Thuringowa Shire | Swimming |
| 2008 | Corey Jensen | Whitsunday Regional | Athletics |
| 2009 | Ashleigh Southern | Cassowary Coast | Water Polo |
| Previous Winners of the Alan Ticehurst Memorial Award for Service to North Queensland Sport |
|||
| 2003 | Heather Law | Cairns City | Softball |
| 2004 | Denis Donaghy | Cairns City | Basketball |
| 2005 | Kay Keys | Thuringowa City | Pony Club |
| 2006 | Gail Brodie | Thuringowa City | |
| 2007 | Dawn Nash | Cairns City | Cycling |
| 2008 | Daren Wolfe | Townsville City | Gymnastics |
| 2009 | Debra Gibson | Hinchinbrook Shire | Surf Life saving |
BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY CENTRE NORTH QUEENSLAND SPORTSTAR AWARDS
Burdekin Shire - July 2010
In the twentieth year of the gala night to acknowledge the sportstars from all over North Queensland, the Burdekin Shire Council turned on a memorable night where the winners of the Business Technology Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards were honoured on Saturday 3 July. The nominees and guests had to wait a few months due to the Awards night being postponed from 20 March due to cyclone Ului.
It was well worth the wait, as the large and appreciative audience had a ball at the Burdekin Memorial Hall in Home Hill. The Memorial Hall was completely transformed into a V8 Supercars venue and audible gasps were heard as the guests took their seats at the transformation of the venue. They were then back on their feet as special guest Dick Johnson, the legendary driver was welcomed into the hall. Nothing was overlooked as he was driven into the hall in a Ford and the driver was no doubt worried about driving around the tables with such a legendary driver sitting in the passenger’s seat!! This followed excellent dance routines from the local Burdekin dancers who set the scene for an excellent night.
The special guest for the evening, V8 Supercar legend Dick Johnson gave an interesting insight into his life as a supercar driver in an interview with Master of Ceremonies Trevor Roberts, as well as describing the future of the sport in Australia. Given Townsville’s current stake in V8’s, people in the audience could better understand and relate to the technicalities and presentation of the V8 events for the upcoming Townsville 400 series.
Representing the Business Technology Centre was Josh Rushton, who presented the trophies and the cheques to the various winners and runners up.
The results of the Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards:
Senior Winner Ashleigh Stebbeings Mackay Senior Runner Up Wayne Mawer Cairns
Junior Winner Ashleigh Southern Cassowary Coast Junior Runner Up Rebecca Kemp Mackay
Winner of the Services to NQ Sport Debbie Gibson Hinchinbrook Runner up, Services to NQ Sport Heather McLaren Cairns
Winner of the Senior Award was Mackay’s Ashleigh Stebbeings who has excelled on the world stage in barefoot waterskiing. She has also recently won the State Award in Brisbane at the end of last year. She received a cheque for $2000 from the Business Technology Centre’s Josh Rushton. This is the second year in a row that Ashleigh has taken out this award, something that has not been done since 1994, when world triathlete champion Brad Beven won the Award for the fourth time out of the first five years. Runner up in the Senior Award was Cairns water skier, Wayne Mawer who was a previous winner of the Senior Award in 1998, showing great longevity in his sport.
The Winner of the Junior Award, who received $1000, was Cassowary Coast water polo player Ashleigh Southern who has a great future in the sport, and a name to look out for. Runner up in the Junior category and receiving $500 was Mackay swimmer Rebecca Kemp.
A very popular winner of the Alan Ticehurst Memorial Award for Service to North Queensland Sport was Debra Gibson representing the Hinchinbrook Shire. Debra has worked for years in a number of sports, but is probably best known in surf life saving. She received a voucher for $500 worth of accommodation and meals at the Rydges Resort in Cairns.The Runner up in the Services to NQ Sport was Heather McLaren from Cairns who has worked hard over many years in the sport of netball.
COMMANDER CENTRE NORTH QUEENSLAND SPORTSTAR AWARDS
Carpentaria Shire - April 2009
Mackay’s Ashleigh Stebbeings wins Senior Award at the Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards in Normanton
On a night that has been described as simply fantastic, the winners of the Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards were honoured on Saturday 4 April in front of a large and appreciative audience at the historic Burns Philp building in Normanton. Nobody would have thought about holding a Sportstar Awards evening in this “tin shed” when the building was constructed in the late 1800’s. Similarly the impressive air-conditioning unit that was hired for the evening was unthinkable all those years ago!
The North Queensland Sports Foundation was once again proud to acknowledge its many talented sportsmen and sportswomen, from a very strong and impressive list of 35 nominees from all over North Queensland. Hosted by the Carpentaria Shire Council, the audience enjoyed the atmosphere generated by the uniqueness of the occasion. After the difficulties that were encountered due to the recent floods in the region, the people of the Gulf of Carpentaria rose to the occasion and presented a simply superb night, of “Sportstars in the Outback”. Coordinator for the night, Anne Pleash ensured that the attention to detail was impeccable and was the deserved recipient of very appreciative comments and gratitude.
The special guest for the evening, Rugby League legend, David Peachey, no stranger to the Gulf region, gave a passionate insight to his life as a player with the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Cronulla Sharks. and his work in the community with the David Peachey Foundation in his insightful interview with compere, Trevor Roberts from WIN Television. At the end of the Awards section of the evening, the crowd partied on thanks to entertainment from Troy Cassar Daley and his band.
Representing Commander Centre was Townsville’s Josh Rushton, who presented the trophies and the cheques to the various winners and runners up.
The results of the Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards:
Senior Winner - Ashleigh Stebbeings, Mackay, Senior Runner Up (tie) Penny Palfrey, Townsville and Grant Patterson, Cairns
Junior Winner Corey Jensen, Whitsunday Junior Runner Up Daijah Martens, Cairns
Winner of the Services to NQ Sport Daren Wolfe, Townsville Runner up, Services to NQ Sport Liz Fleischfresser, Cairns
Winner of the Senior Award was Mackay’s Ashleigh Stebbeings who is the world champion in barefoot waterskiing. She received a cheque for $2000 from Commander Centre’s Josh Rushton. The judges found it very difficult to decide the runner up in the senior category, and the result was a tie, between last year’s winner Penny Palfrey from Townsville and Grant Patterson from Cairns, both receiving $500. Both are swimmers, with Penny excelling in long distance swimming, and Grant a wonderful example of how to achieve in paralympic swimming.
The Winner of the Junior Award, who received $1000, was Whitsunday athlete Corey Jensen who has a great future in the sport, and a name to look out for. Runner up in the Junior category and receiving $500 was fellow athlete, Daijah Martens from Cairns.
A very popular winner of the Alan Ticehurst Memorial Award for Service to North Queensland Sport was Daren Wolfe representing the Townsville City. Daren has worked in a voluntary capacity for over twenty years in the sport of gymnastics, and has been an official at Commonwealth and Olympic Games. Daren who couldn’t attend the evening due to gymnastics commitments was still there on the night due to a previously recorded interview by WIN television and will subsequently receive a voucher for $400 from Sportscene in Townsville. The Runner up in the Services to NQ Sport was Liz Fleischfresser from Cairns who has worked hard over many years in the sport of softball.
COMMANDER CENTRE NORTH QUEENLAND SPORTSTAR AWARDS
Hinchinbrook Shire - March 2008
Townsville’s Penny Palfrey wins Senior Award at the Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards in Ingham Thuringowa Swimmer Wins Junior Award Bravo!
On what is one of the highlights of the 2008 sporting calendar, the winners of the Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards were honoured on Saturday 1 March, in front of a large and appreciative audience at the Hinchinbrook Shire Hall in Ingham. The North Queensland Sports Foundation was once again proud to acknowledge its many talented sportsmen and sportswomen, from a very strong and impressive list of 38 nominees from all over North Queensland. Hosted by the Hinchinbrook Shire Council, the audience enjoyed the atmosphere generated by the Italian flavour of the night, understandably due to the influence within the community of Italy.
The special guest for the evening, Rugby League legend, Mark MG Geyer was a huge hit with the audience who were enthralled by the many stories behind the highlights of his career in an interview with compere, Trevor Roberts from WIN Television. Mark Geyer did not hold back and spoke about his past as a rugby league player both on and off the field in a humorous and honest account of a large part of his life. Representing Commander Centre was Townsville’s Josh Rushton, who presented the trophies and the cheques to the various winners and runners up.
The results of the Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards: Senior Winner Penny Palfrey -Townsville, Senior Runner Up Duncan MacGregor - Atherton, Junior Winner Jacinta Powell - Thuringowa, Junior Runner Up Andrew Torpelund - Townsville, Winner of the Services to Sport Dawn Nash - Cairns, Presidents Acknowledgement Glory Marbelli - Hinchinbrook.
Winner of the Senior Award was Townsville’s Long distance swimmer Penny Palfrey, who has achieved legendary status after swimming the English Channel in 2007. She received a gold medal from the Channel Swimming Association, only the third Australian swimmer to receive the ultimate award of the fastest swim of the year. Over an illustrious career, she has achieved countless awards in long distance swimming. She received a cheque for $2000 from Commander Centre’s Josh Rushton.
Runner up in the Senior Category, and receiving $500 was Duncan MacGregor from Atherton. Duncan is a member of the Australian Paralympic sailing development squad. Among his achievements in 2007, he came first in the World Access 2.3 Dinghy in September competing in Ontario in Canada. The Winner of the Junior Award, who received $1000, was Thuringowa swimmer, Jacinta Powell, who has been selected to attend the 2008 Olympic Games trials after a very successful year in 2007. Thuringowa Councillor Brian Hewett accepted the award on Jacinta’s behalf, as she was competing and could not attend the evening. Runner up in the Junior category and receiving $500 was Andrew Torpelund from Townsville, who has a great future in the sport of sailing, having been selected to participate in the 4.7 laser world championships in Croatia in August 2008. As Andrew was competing, his award was accepted on his behalf by his brother Brendan.
A very popular winner of the Alan Ticehurst Memorial Award for service to North Queensland Sport was Dawn Nash representing the Cairns City Council. Dawn is a legend in the sport of cycling and has attended countless bike races throughout Australia. She has worked tirelessly for almost 40 years and once said that she “would go anywhere to be part of a bike ride.” Gail received a voucher for $400 from Ingham’s Sportspower. The President’s Acknowledgement was awarded to Glory Marbelli, a local from Ingham, who has been the mainstay of the Herbert River Netball Association for almost thirty years. A nervous Glory was enthusiastically cheered as she went up to collect her award, with many friends in the audience. Following another very successful Awards evening, the Hinchinbrook Shire Council is to be congratulated for the organisation of a very high standard evening. The North Queensland Sports Foundation looks forward to hosting the next Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards in Normanton on 4 April 2009.
COMMANDER CENTRE NORTH QUEENLAND SPORTSTAR AWARDS
Flinders Shire - March 2007
The winners of the Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards were honoured on Saturday 3 March, in front of a large, appreciative audience at the Diggers Entertainment Centre in Hughenden.
The North Queensland Sports Foundation is proud to acknowledge its many talented sportsmen and sportswomen, from a very strong and impressive list of 36 nominees from all over North Queensland.
Hosted by the Flinders Shire Council, the audience enjoyed the atmosphere generated by the Utes, Boots and Cowboys theme, which enhanced the uniqueness of the Outback town of Hughenden and the fun loving crowd at the gala night.
The special guest for the evening, Australian Olympian High Diver, Robert Newbery was very well received and the audience were enthralled by the many stories behind the highlights of his career in three Commonwealth and two Olympic Games in an interview with compere, Trevor Roberts from WIN Television. Robert hinted that he was still thinking of making a return to the sport with an eye on Beijing in 2008. As well as being a very talented athlete, he showed that he could also entertain the audience with some quick one liners in the interview Representing Commander Centre was Townsville’s Josh Rushton, who presented the trophies and the cheques to the various winners and runners up. Josh said that he was pleased to be back in his old stomping ground, as he was born in nearby Prairie. .
The results of the Commander Centre North Queensland Sportstar Awards: Senior Winner Tracey Hannah Cairns Senior Runner Up Bruce Scott Townsville Junior Winner Kimberley Juides Cairns Junior Runner Up Guy Phillips Thuringowa Winner of the Services to Sport Gail Brodie Thuringowa Presidents Acknowledgement Kay Bagley Herberton
Winner of the Senior Award was Cairns Mountain Bike rider Tracey Hannah, who had a very successful year in 2006, especially in international events, with the highlight coming first in the Women’s Elite Downhill series at the World Championships. She also won the Women’s Downhill and the Women’s National series held in Victoria and Tasmania in 2006. She received a cheque for $2000 from Commander Centre’s Josh Rushton. An emotional winner, Tracey stated that she was surprised at the win, and passed her thanks on to her family for their great support.
Runner up in the Senior Category, and receiving $500 was Bruce Scott from Townsville. Bruce won a gold medal in the Open Full Bore Rifle shooting at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Bruce also won a silver medal in the pairs. He explained that his sport was one of patience and concentration.
The Winner of the Junior Award, who received $1000, was another athlete from Cairns, Kimberley Juides, who has achieved very high standards in the sport of ice hockey. Not exactly known for its cold weather, Cairns has produced an outstanding young ice hockey player who represented Australia last year in England, New Zealand and Japan. Accepting the Award on her behalf was her very proud mother, Sue as Kimberley is currently competing in Sheffield, England. She said that Kimberley “would be rapped to hear of her win, and that her ambition is to represent Australia in the Winter Olympics”.
Runner up in the Junior category and receiving $500 was Guy Phillips from Thuringowa, who has a great future in the sport of archery. Guy competed in the Archery Junior World Championships in Mexico, where he was part of the World Record team as well as being ranked first in the cadet compound division.
A very popular winner of the Alan Ticehurst Memorial Award for service to North Queensland Sport was Gail Brodie representing the Thuringowa City Council. Gail has worked tirelessly on a voluntary basis for athletics, and has been the Coordinator of the North Queensland Athletics Carnival for students with a disability. Gail received a voucher for $400 from Townsville’s Superwarehouse, which will be put to good use! The President’s Acknowledgement was awarded to Kay Bagley from Herberton, who is involved in a number of sports in the region. Accepting the Award on her behalf was the Mayor of Herberton, Cr Ann Portess.
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