Senior Sports Star of the Year for 2023
Brielle Erbacher
Winner 2023
Brielle Erbacher
Athletics
Runner Up: Tatum Stewart (Hockey)
(Sponsored by Clive Berghofer Land Sales)
Senior Rising Star: Sienna Deurloo (Swimming)
(Sponsored by Clive Berghofer Land Sales)
Senior Chase Your Dreams: Jai Gordon (Athletics)
(Sponsored by The City Golf Club – the Braydon Smith Memorial Trophy)
Senior Para Athlete of the Year: Belinda Slatter (Athletics)
(Sponsored by K & R Plumbing Supplies – the Nev Reedy Memorial Trophy)
Coach of the Year: Jody Erbacher (Athletics)
(Sponsored by Neil Mansell Group – the Pat O’Shea Memorial Trophy)
Volunteer of the Year: Debbie Prouten (Softball)
(Sponsored by The Davey Group)
Umpire/Referee of the Year: Tameka Dyne (Touch Football)
(Sponsored by Toowoomba Turf Club)
Team of the Year: Toowoomba Open Men’s Hockey Team
(Sponsored by Neil Mansell Group)
Runner-Up 2023
Tatum Stewart
Hockey
Senior Monthly Award Winners for 2023
January
Steven Spark
Boxing
Steven is the WBC Australasian Super Lightweight Division Title Holder. He is rated World No. 8 with the International Boxing Federation and No. 12 with the World Boxing Council.
February
Ella White
Indoor Hockey
Ashley is the World Champion in the sport of target rifle long range shooting after competing as a member of the Australian Rifle team at the World Long Range Team Championships at Johannesburg, South Africa.
January
Sienna Deurloo
Swimming
At the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships held at Busselton, W.A., Sienna won the gold medal in the Under 18 Girls 10km and 5km events. From this performance she has been selected in the Australian Open Water Swimming Squad. At the Australian Age Swimming Championships Sienna qualified in 10 individual events and at the Australian Open Swimming Championships qualified in 4 events. Sienna has qualified for the 2023 World Swimming Championship trials in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle.
April
Jai Gordon
Athletics
Jai competed at the Australian Athletics Championships where he came 7th in the Open Men’s 100m final. At the UniSport National Championships he twice broke the National 100m record, which had stood for 57 years, with a time of 10.37 sec. in the semi final and 10.28 sec. in the final. Jai was selected in the Australian team to compete at the Oceania Cup in Saipan in June and has been named in the Australian Athletics Long List Squad for next years 2024 Olympic Games.
May
Holly Gilbar
Hockey
In April Holly was selected in the Inaugural Australian Hockey 5s team to compete at the World Cup Oceania qualifiers. The very first Hockey 5s World Cup will be held in Oman in January 2024. From her performance at the Queensland Hockey Championships, Holly has gained selected in the Queensland Country Hockey team to compete at the National championships in Shepparton, later in the year.
June
Matthew Moore
Touch
Matthew has been selected in the Australian Under 18 Touch Football Team to compete at the Asia Pacific Youth Touch Cup in Brisbane in May.
July
Brielle Erbacher
Athletics
Brielle has been selected in the Australian Athletics Team to compete in the 3000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.
August
Tom Campbell
Hockey
Tom has had an exceptional year of hockey, starting off with a championship gold medal and Player of the Tournament performance at the Queensland Under 18 Hockey Championships. He has followed this up with a silver medal in the Queensland Under 18 Men’s team and bronze in the Queensland Under 21 team at the Australian Championships. These performances have earned him selection in the Brisbane Blaze Hockey One Squad and a place on Hockey Australia’s Men’s Futures List.
September
Brandon Spain
Muay Thai
In the sport of Muay Thai, Brandon is now ranked 18 in the World Boxing Council ratings after winning a first-round knockout fight against Thai boxer Daporasuk. This fight took place at the prestigious Nai Khanom Tom Challenge at the Gold Coast and only nationally ranked fighters throughout the world were invited to compete. Only a handful of Australians have ever placed in the world rankings for Muay Thai and Brandon will now have a chance at fighting for a World Title in the future.
October
Elle de Nooyer
Mountain Biking
Elle overcome an horrific injury to return to elite mountain bike racing this year, competing and racing at a national level. Late 2022 Elle came off her mountain bike and broke her back, ribs, collarbone and ruptured her ACL. She trained incredibly hard and returned to National level racing 12 months after her injury. In April Elle placed 4th in the Elite Women’s Oceania Down Hill Mountain Bike Race and in October placed 3rd at the National Under 21 Enduro Championships.
November
Michael Bray
Ultra Marathon
Michael placed 9th in the prestigious Cape Wrath 8 Day 400klm Ultra Marathon held in the Scottish Highlands. Eight weeks later, he backed up in the world-famous Ultra Monte Blanc 171klm straight marathon through the Swiss Alps. This is the pinnacle of Ultra Marathon and is by invitation only.
December
Tatum Stewart
Hockey
Early in 2023 Tatum was selected in the Hockeyroos Squad and debuted for Australia in Bunbury against China. She scored her first two international goals in a test match against India in Adelaide where she was named ‘Player of the Match’. She played with the Hockeyroos in the Oceania Cup against New Zealand and won the series to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games. Tatum also played in the FIH Under 21 Junior World Cup where she was vice captain of the Australian team and highest goal scorer for the team.