John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 9 February we gathered in Toowoomba to acknowledge the recipients of awards at the Sports Darling Downs annual presentation dinner. It was tremendous to see Senior Sports Star of the Year, Matthew Denny, from athletics, who is from Allora, like me, and the runner-up, Lara Nielsen, also from athletics. Their junior colleagues were Evan Mclean, from water polo, and Mason Hughes from athletics. The Senior Rookie of the Year was Brielle Erbacher, again, from athletics. The Senior Chase Your Dream Award went to Hayden Siebuhr, for wheelchair basketball. Junior rookie was Carter Blades, again from athletics, and Tatum Stewart and Briana Suey, from hockey, took out the Junior Chase Your Dream Award.

Category award winners also included Toowoomba Grammar School and St Mary's College in Toowoomba, and Dalby State School and Fairholme College in the various awards for schools and teams. Umpire/Referee of the Year was Luke McKenzie, for touch football; Coach of the Year was Greg Hobol, for weightlifting; Junior Para Athlete of the Year was Henry Reardon, for swimming; Senior Para Athlete of the Year was Corey Anderson, for athletics; and Volunteer of the Year was Sophie Smith, for AFL.

It was tremendous to see Sports Darling Downs continue its efforts in our community to support young people chasing their dreams. This organisation is 20 years old and, led by its president, Mick Smith, it has raised over a million dollars to support locals in our community.