Port Pirie's Australia Day Award Winners Announced
Port Pirie Regional Council would like to congratulate the following deserving winners of Port Pirie’s Australia Day Awards.
The Australia Day Awards recognise outstanding contributions to the local community by individuals and an event that has made a significant contribution, both economically and socially, to the region.
The 2023 Australia Day Award winners for Port Pirie are:
Citizen of the Year
Tricia Thoman
Although during the past 12 months Tricia’s attendance has been limited to Skype and phone calls due to ill health, this has not stopped her from continuing to participate in and support her beloved clubs.
Tricia has continued to make sure that both the Port Netball Club and Trinity Tennis Club have continued to run smoothly both during and off season.
Tricia’s dedication and achievements span over many years to the running of both clubs with the junior players at heart, teaching them skills in their respective sport and encouraging even the disadvantaged to participate so that they can achieve their best and to continue to support both associations so that they are competitive for many years to come.
All the time and effort that Tricia volunteers behind the scenes, unseen and unspoken is invaluable. She is an exemplary club person, the club’s longest serving player coach and committee member who is a true inspiration to everyone that knows her.
Tricia is a very worthy recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award not only for this past year but for all her life contributions to the people of Port Pirie with both her achievements in her sporting career and her contribution to others through sport, especially junior development.
Young Citizens of the Year
Zali Adams & Neve Adams (joint winners)
Sisters Zali and Neve Adams have played softball in Port Pirie from a young age and they have now both received full Scholarships (all expenses paid) to Universities in the US. Zali chose a university where the softball coaches were pitchers, whereas Neve chose a university where the coaches were former catchers.
To have two sisters competing in softball for many years to both go up from local competition to State competition, to National selection then US Scholarships is quite remarkable.
In 2018, these sisters were both selected to travel to Cairns and Japan in State and National teams. At 13 and 15, the girls paired together in Softball Australia’s Aussie Diamonds under 16 Development Team and the Secondary Schools under 17 State Team.
Since this time, both Zali and Neve have achieved many amazing things in their chosen sport of softball – there are quite literally too many to list! This has led to Zali heading off to college in the US in 2021, attending Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut and being sponsored by Adidas and Rawlings. She plays for Bobcats in the highest college competition in the States. This had been Zali’s dream for a long time and is an enormous achievement.
Neve has also been fortunate enough to gain a full scholarship to Odessa College in Texas beginning in August 2023, with three other college offers to choose from.
Both Zali and Neve have shown themselves to be top level performers and true sportspersons in softball and their futures are looking very bright.
Community Event of the Year
Crystal Brook Classic Carnival
The Crystal Brook Classic Carnival was held on 12 February 2022 and brought not only the local community, but what seemed to be the entire region together like very few summer events do.
It was a great opportunity for the Crystal Brook Football club to host a pro running meet, attracting some of the State’s best runners to compete for the inaugural Crystal Brook Classic Sash. The Crystal Brook Classic is now THE country meet to attend on the athletics calendar.
For the Crystal Brook Football Club to be able to pull this together and for it to be such a huge success is an absolute credit to all involved. There is nothing else like this event anywhere else in the Mid North and it will only grow as the years go on! The next Crystal Brook Classic Carnival will be held on Saturday 28 January 2023.
The Australia Day Awards will be presented at the Port Pirie Australia Day Celebrations to be held Thursday 26 January at the Solomontown Beach. More information on this event is available at: Port Pirie Australia Day Event
Images: Tricia Thoman (image credit: The Recorder); Zali Adams; Neve Adams; Crystal Brook Classic Carnival (image credit: South Australian Athletic League)