Squash Australia Annual Awards (Episode 1 of 6)

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So there was a small gathering over in Brisbane on Saturday 25 November 2023.  Just kidding – it was the Squash Australia night of nights!! 🤩🤩🤩

You may have heard that Western Australia did extremely well on the night, coming away with not two, not three, not four….but SIX awards!!

While we’re excited to include all six categories in the one post, we feel that each one deserves its very own moment in the spotlight, so here’s Episode 1: Paul Vear Administrator of the Year – Leigh-Anne Kaye!

In her role as General Manager, Leigh is a pivotal force within the squash community. After working tirelessly as a volunteer and Board Member, she saw the opportunity to drive the strategic and operational changes to take squash into the modern age. With significant contributions from the past and present workforce, Leigh has increased core funding, secured a home for squash in WA with the purchase of a new state facility, coordinates the centre upgrades, and is working with the WA state government to finalise a case study for a new purpose built 12-court facility. Leigh is also a key contributor to Squash Australia, sitting on multiple working teams and continues to develop and embed the Squash WA Strategic Plan.  Leigh’s unwavering passion and drive, paired with her significant achievements, are nothing short of extraordinary.

Accepting the award, Leigh modestly reflected, “Thank you to our clubs, our board and our amazing volunteer base who have all helped us achieve our goals and made all this possible. Without the support of Squash Australia, the past and present staff in our office, volunteers and community, we would not be where we are now.  Taking these awards back to WA just shows that the community’s hard work is paying off and that we are the state of choice this year.”

Stay tuned for Episode 2: Ted Barlow State/Territory of the Year – Western Australia!  There will also be a full write up in the next edition of the SWAN.

🌟🌟 Junior of the Year Nominees!! 🌟🌟

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…and the nominees are… (part 3)

We are delighted to announce the four VERY deserving nominees for the Squash WA Junior of the Year award: Caitlin Pratt, Charlie Richardson, Daniel Marsh and Luke Scott are all making a huge difference to our sport in a variety of ways.

Winners will be announced at the Squash WA Stars Gala on Saturday 2 December 2023. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

Caitlin Pratt (Narrogin) “Caitlin’s commitment to squash has been consistent throughout her career. Her dedication to training, competition, and community involvement is marked by unwavering persistence and a tireless work ethic.”

Charlie Richardson (Mirrabooka) “Charlie helps other juniors in and outside of our junior program with their own development, in a voluntary capacity, therefore demonstrating a desire to help others and a genuine awareness of the bigger picture and the importance of giving back.”

Daniel Marsh (Belmont) “Daniel is an integral part of the junior program at
Belmont. He is hands-on, and always on court with the kids, imparting his knowledge to them. Daniel is certainly a player they are able to look up to now and into the future”

Luke Scott (Belmont) “Luke accepts his wins with humility and is gracious in his losses. He is a team player, always willing to go the extra mile and help others. Reliability is an asset hard to find in young player, however Luke has this.”

Volunteer Management Workshops

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Struggling to find, keep and/or manage your beloved volunteers?  Well DLGSC are hosting a series of three workshops on volunteer engagement, volunteer retention and volunteer management.  They’re all free and are online on Tuesday evenings.  Please try to have at least one representative from your Club attend – they will no doubt be very beneficial!

Volunteers are an integral part of any sport and recreation organisations. These workshops aim to support participants to improve their ability to recruit, manage, retain and reward volunteers within their organisation.

Workshops shall be delivered online across November and December. Each workshop is self-contained allowing participants to attend one or all of the workshops on offer.

Volunteer Engagement

Volunteer Retention

Volunteer Management

Any queries can be directed to Lorraine Sanders, A/Senior Project Officer – Industry Development on 9492 9828 or email industry.development@dlgsc.wa.gov.au.

🌟🌟 Volunteer of the Year Nominees!! 🌟🌟

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…and the nominees are… (part 2)

We are delighted to announce the 13 VERY deserving nominees for the Squash WA Volunteer of the Year award: Amos Bruce, Alyce Smith, Bec Ilich, Kat Tonkin, Katy Scott, Lisa Christou, Lyn & Russell Chandler, Mason Woods, Moya Credaro, Peter Siebert, Richard Grain, Serena Richardson and Yvette Clement are all making a huge difference to our sport in a variety of ways.

Be the first to find out who wins the award by coming along to the Squash WA Stars Gala on Saturday 2 December 2023. Tickets are available via the website shop here: https://squashwa.asn.au/shop/

Amos Bruce (Cambridge) “Amos’ consistent effort to improve his own game of squash, encouragement of others (including senior players), his sense of humour and unquestionable sportsmanship, has provided a wonderful role model for our sport and to all our players; juniors and seniors alike.”

Alyce Smith (Narrogin) “Alyce’s contributions have not only benefited the Narrogin Squash Club but have also inspired and encouraged others within the squash community.”

Bec Ilich (Vic Park) “As a player and a committee member, Bec helps to foster the inclusive environment that exists at Vic Park.She makes players of all ages and backgrounds feel welcome and encourages them to participate and be partof our squash community.”

Kat Tonkin (Vic Park) “Kat is always going over and above what is expected of her as a committee member and is always coming up with suggestions to improve the club and the sport.”

Katy Scott (Belmont) “Because of her enthusiasm for the sport, whenever there is a chance to ‘plug’ squash, she is there. Katy’s efforts have resulted in securing grants from Healthway, DLGSC, City of Belmont and the Federal Government” 

Lisa Christou (Vic Park) “Lisa is always putting in 100% for the club as she loves the sport and has the best interest of squash and the club at heart. She also has the future of the sport in mind and is very passionate about coaching and promoting the junior program to keep the sport alive.”

Russell and Lyn Chandler (Belmont) “The current home of Squash WA would not be in the great shape that it is without the Chandler’s being so involved, the revival of Belmont has been largely down to their enormous efforts, and they have done so much for the pennant and league competitions.”

Mason Woods (Cambridge) “Mason makes all social players and club members feel welcome at the centre with his enthusiasm, and friendly and helpful manner.  He also makes an active and long lasting contribution to the club and Squash WA through his sponsorship of various event.”

Moya Credaro (Marmion) “Moya’s enthusiasm to be involved in club activities to bring members together makes her an incredible asset and ambassador for the sport.”

Peter Siebert (EGSRA) “Peter is a solid foundation for the club, under his mentorship the club has grown, and he is constantly promoting the club to new members and encouraging to all present and past players”

Richard Grain (Mirrabooka) “Grainy demonstrates fantastic leadership qualities in all aspects of his involvement in squash. He not only works tirelessly in various capacities, but also inspires and motivates others, building a solid foundation for the future of our sport.”

Serena Richardson (Mirrabooka) “Squash is infinitely blessed to have Serena giving so much to the sport in various ways including creating such a wonderful environment of fun and belonging for all juniors.”

Yvette Clement (Blue Gum) “Yvette has become a highly valued member of the club and was the 2023 winner of the Bernice Gryguc Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to the Club. She is warm and welcoming, and an excellent advocate for the sport.”

📢 Level 1 Coaches Course Announced

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Whether you want to coach at your local junior program, or are after a career refresh (and Squash WA are looking for coaches for paid work!), register for the next course now and help others reach their potential. #bethechange #squashcoach #upskill #careerchange

For more information or to register your interest simply flick an email to engagement@squashwa.asn.au.

🌟🌟Coach of the Year Nominees!! 🌟🌟

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…and the nominees are….

We are delighted to announce the six VERY deserving nominees for the Squash WA Coach of the Year award: Katy Scott, Remi Young, Sanny Ang, Sean Brockman, Sue Hillier and Wayne Krahner are all making a huge difference to our sport in a variety of ways.

Be the first to find out who wins the award by coming along to the Squash WA Stars Gala on Saturday 2 December 2023. Tickets are available via the website shop here: https://squashwa.asn.au/shop/

Katy Scott (Belmont) “Katy has grown the sport of squash generally in her role as a coach and various other volunteer roles. Few are making such an extraordinary difference to squash.”

Remi Young (Mirrabooka) “Remi is kind, patient and a lot of fun. The juniors love being part of his squad and look forward to spending time with such a fantastic role model and high level player each week.”

Sanny Ang (Marmion) “Sanny volunteering his time has helped us tremendously in the running of a successful Junior program. He passes on valuable knowledge to other coaches that can learn from his expertise.”

Sean Brockman (Busselton) “With a few decades of experience under his belt, Sean is precise and informative, with sessions that are engaging, enjoyable and, importantly, keep the juniors coming back for more.”

Sue Hillier (Vic Park) “Sue devotes numerous hours toward coaching and developing the next generation of squash players at all levels. She strives to encourage all juniors to be the best they can.”

Wayne Krahner (Mirrabooka) “We are incredibly lucky to have someone as knowledgeable as Wayne based here in WA and having such a huge impact to the benefit of the talented juniors and to the sport generally.”

Squash in the Media! 📻

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Recently Glenn Hitch, Squash WA Vice President, was interviewed by Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC breakfast radio, as well as Gordon Allen on Northern Suburbs Community Radio.

The hot topic was the recent addition of our awesome sport to the Olympic Games, amongst all the goals the sport is kicking! 🤩🫶🏻

Listen to the interviews here:

Great job Glenn!!

Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport

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Sport Integrity Australia is excited to launch a new Education Webinar series starting with: “The What, Why and How behind Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport”

Presented by Lisa Purves, Sport Integrity Australia’s Director Safeguarding, this webinar will look at:

  • The high-risk environments for preventing the abuse of children and young people in sport.
  • Understanding the four pillars of risk in a sporting context.
  • Understanding types of offenders and what you can do to prevent harm or abuse from occurring.
  • Applying a situational prevention approach to child safe risk management.

This webinar is aimed at all participants and members of sport across all levels including administrators, volunteers and parents.

7.30pm – 8.30pm, Wednesday 8 November 2023

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR HERE