Clubbies 2020 Winners

Honourable Mentions
Budokan Judo Club
Umina Surf Lifesaving Club

It’s all about lots of fun with motorbikes, but a short drive from Hobart an inspiring story has emerged. Six years ago the Sports Riders Club of Tasmania was on the brink of oblivion. Regulation changes and a general downturn in the sport’s participation rates bit hard. What a difference a band of unsung heroes can make! These days the club has 220 members and continues to innovate and grow. Introducing a junior development program and pro coaching, creating a customised online event entry system, offering live streaming of race meets. Their Baskerville 2 Hour event now attracts elite talent from around the country! It’s time to salute our 2020 Clubbies Club of the Year!

Honourable Mentions
Tony Sturzaker - O'Callaghan Boxing Gym
Lorinda Webster-Brooking - River City Cali Dance Studio

It’s been more than 30 years of 5am starts and late nights at the pool for Gail Smail our extraordinary 2020 Clubbies Coach of the Year. A Life Member of Swimming Queensland, Gail has inspired generations of young Aussies to take to the water. Some, like 17-year-old Olympics hopeful Ben Armbruster, have been guided by the dedicated coach from their toddler days in Learn to Swim. Gail is based at Stanthorpe Amateur Swimming and Life Saving Club, and clocks up thousands of kilometres a year to bring life guard training to communities such as Roma, Warwick and Allora. It’s a hard gig, she says, but this legend of the Darling Downs wouldn’t have it any other way.

Honourable Mentions
Thunderducks Netball Club
Rosemore Calisthenics Masters Team

It took a major health scare to introduce Beth Trevenen to dragon boating… and it turned out to be a perfect match. Beth has participated at the past three masters games for Albany Cruisers, helping them pick up gold in 2015 and 2017. “Inspiring”, is how WA crewmates describe the newly turned 84-year-old and club founding member. She may dislike the chill of early mornings but this veteran of 6am training sessions has faced down five harsh winters in a row. When the cold and dark of the Great Southern Ocean seems impenetrable there’s one phrase that gets everybody through – “If Beth can do it so can we!”

Honourable Mentions
Albury Wodonga Football Association

In its 15^th season the Disabled Surfers Association on the NSW Central Coast is continuing to change lives. Participants travel from as far afield as Mudgee to catch a wave with the DSA, from people with mild autism to fully ventilated quadriplegics. Using a 10ft board with a soft top and customised handles, participants are taken into the surf with a tandem rider before catching a broken wave to the shore through a channel of cheering supporters. Epic! Volunteers include those from the disability sector who know nothing about surfing, to lifelong surfers who know nothing about disabilities. Somehow it all works thanks to an experienced unit of team leaders and beach marshalls. We’re amped to name them Clubbies 2020 Best Association winners.

Honourable Mentions
Gay Harvey - Norths Hockey Club
Michael Cameron - Taree Old Bar SLSC

Revesby Workers Football Club could hardly have imagined the impact Sam Stanley’s arrival from India would have. Sam joined the NSW outfit in 1997 and quickly established himself as the man to get things done. Softly spoken and enthusiastic, his influence as a player, committee member, president and football visionary helped turn the fallen giant into one of the leading football clubs in the Bankstown District. He championed junior development, turbo-charged the emergence of female football and played a pivotal role in establishing the Workers as an all-year inclusive club. While still in his 30s he was recognised with Life membership. Sam Stanley, the ultimate game-changer and winner of the 2020 Clubbies Best Administrator Award.

Honourable Mentions
Narromine Jets Senior Rugby League Club

Dunbar Rovers FC NPL might not been sitting in the top tier but there’s nothing semi-professional about the content produced by their media maestro Peter Hennessy. Described as “insanely devoted,” Peter’s slick videos and engaging posts, have spear-headed a surge in the club’s social media traffic. All without spending a cent on advertising. The Hennessy factor has generated club coverage on SBS and Channel 7, and helped forge a content partnership with Sydney FC.  It’s easy to see why this football club is proud to boast, on the social media front at least, they’ve got a game to rival most A-League clubs.

Honourable Mentions
Lyn Pemberton - Hammersley Netball Club
Jason Eecen - Jingili BMX Club

It takes a special kind of bloke to make a rustic clubhouse in north-eastern NSW seem like the centre of the universe…enter Peter “Spacko” Spackman. The Bilambil Jets Rugby League stalwart is the self-appointed bar manager, away games bus driver and solver of problems big and small. They even named the Volunteer of the Year Award after him! Spacko is first to arrive and last to leave, ready with the water bottles before and after training and quick to hone in on anything that needs a lick of varnish. An occasional baby-sitter of Jets generation not-yet, this mustachioed Northern Rivers league legend enters the Clubbies hall of fame with a bullet!

Honourable Mentions
Malanda Horse and Pony Club

Located about 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, Colac Golf course has been described as a “hidden gem”.  This 18-holes of heaven enjoys stunning views of the volcanic lakes, sweeping farmlands and nearby township, and after a round of golf there’s nothing quite like kicking back on the new clubhouse decking. It’s been a labour of love for the hardworking and forward-thinking Dad’s Army of volunteers, sowing drought proof couch, building new and extended dams and switching from diesel pumps to solar. It all shows an admirable commitment to water capture and energy efficiency that will ensure this 116-year tranquil outpost remains a great place to meet and compete for generations to come.