LITTLE ATHLETICS ROLL OF EXCELLENCE 2010

INFORMATION ON INDUCTEES

George Harvey

Volunteer

A Queensland and Australian Little Athletics Life Member, George Harvey is considered by many as the patriarch of Little Athletics in Queensland. George first became involved in Little Athletics in 1975 as a founding member of Kenmore Little Athletics Centre and after gaining considerable experience at Centre level moved onto the Queensland State Board of Management, serving as President from 1979 to 1989 and becoming a principal driving force behind the Association during its formative years. From 1993 to 1996 George also served as the Chief Executive Officer of Queensland Little Athletics. For his contribution to the sport George was the first person to be awarded with Life Membership of Queensland Little Athletics and an award in his honour, the George Harvey Award, is presented each year to one girl and one boy who best demonstrate they embrace the ideals of Little Athletics. The criteria encompasses those attributes George himself believes are important not only in Little Athletics but also to any individual's growth and development. George has held virtually every position available within Little Athletics from Centre to national level, and was President of Australian Little Athletics from 1990 to 1994. Peter Wickes

Volunteer

Peter Wickes’ involvement with the Little Athletics NSW began in 1972. Over the past 38 years, Peter has provided valuable legal advice, administrative skills and coaching assistance through Club, Centre and Association levels.

Peter was a Trustee of the Association prior to Little Athletics’ incorporation in 1988. During that time Peter provided wise counsel in all matters to the benefit of the Association, including the acquisition of the Association's first office premises in Parramatta.

Peter served on the Association's Board of Management and was Chairman of the Board in 1980 and 1981 during a period in which the organisation was rapidly expanding. After serving on the Board of Management, Peter took on the role of honorary legal adviser to Little Athletics NSW, a role that he fulfilled for 15 years until he retired from the legal profession in 1997. During this period Peter assisted with the purchase of the current LAANSW office premises in Harris Park, as well as all other legal matter in a voluntary capacity. For his contribution to the sport Peter was presented with Life Membership of Little Athletics NSW in 1994.

Since retiring as a solicitor, Peter has found himself back at Centre level, this time as a grandfather. Due to his love and knowledge of the sport he soon had to find a role to fill and that role ended up being one that he now loves - volunteer coach. Peter’s coaching contribution at the Port Hacking Centre is such that he was nominated for the ATFCA / Little Athletics NSW Coach of the Year Award in 2003.

Chris Bradshaw

Achievers

Chris began Little Athletics at Nunawading Little Athletics Centre in before continuing his athletics career in later years at Old Melburnians Athletic Club.

On the track and in the field, Chris was a successful decathlete winning the 1989 Australian title and placing fifth in the event at the 1990 in Auckland.

Following his retirement from athletics Chris has forged a successful career as a doctor, being first a partner and then the Chairman of the Board of the Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre. During that time he was the club doctor for the Richmond Football Club and later worked with English Premier League club Fulham. Upon return to Australia Chris took up the position of team doctor for the Geelong Football Club.

Chris also served as the Australian athletics team doctor for the four years leading into the Sydney Olympics and has published widely in the field of clinical sports medicine, as well as serving on a number of professional committees.

Additional information:

Earlier this year Chris revived fellow Geelong team doctor Geoff Allen on ground after he suffered a heart attack. Janine Shepherd Achievers

From the age of 7 through to 12, Janine Shepherd was a member of the Hornsby District Little Athletics Centre in Sydney. Her Little Athletics involvement culminated with her selection in the 1974 NSW team where she participated in the walk at the Australian Little Athletics Teams Championships in Sydney.

Sadly, 12 years after leaving Little Athletics, Janine, a champion cross country skier in training for the winter Olympics, had her life irrevocably altered when she was run over by a truck during a training bicycle ride to the Blue Mountains.

Her neck and back were broken in six places, and her right arm, collarbone and five ribs fractured. Her right leg had been ripped open; she had sustained head injuries and massive internal injuries. She had severe lacerations to her abdominal area and had lost five litres of blood. The bleeding alone should have been enough to kill her. Doctors warned her parents that she was not expected to survive the ordeal. Even if by some small chance she recovered, she would never walk again.

Coming to terms with her shattered Olympic dreams, and refusing to believe what expert medical staff was telling her about her chances of any kind of recovery, Janine focused every sinew of her being on healing her broken body and crushed morale. Her fighting spirit was rekindled watching small planes flying overhead. She made a decision: “If I can’t walk, I’ll fly.”

While still covered in a full body plaster cast, Janine was lifted into an aircraft for her first flight. That moment changed her life forever. Within a year she had her private pilot’s licence. Despite remaining a partial paraplegic and with many physical challenges still ahead, she battled on to gain her commercial pilots licence, her instrument rating, her twin engine rating, and her instructor’s rating. She then went on to become a fully qualified aerobatics instructor.

And all the while she pushed her body to mend itself, forced her legs to walk again, step by painful step. Although doctors said she would never have children, Janine says her greatest achievement is the three young children she now has. She has since gone on to finish her University degree in Physical Education.

Janine’s story of defying the odds and winning is both moving and inspiring. The title of her bestselling book, 'Never Tell Me Never,' says it all. Janine has since written three more books, 'Dare to Fly', which was prompted by overwhelming public reaction to her first book, 'Reaching for Stars', and ‘On My Own Two Feet’. Janine's life story has been made into a feature film, also entitled Never Tell Me Never, starring well known Australian actress Claudia Karvan.

Today, Janine is much in demand as one of Australia’s most sought after motivational speakers. She travels extensively in Australia and overseas sharing her story with others.

Janine was named as a recipient of the 'Outstanding Young Persons of the World' award for 1998 from Junior Chamber International and in 1999 was named an Australian Achiever by the National Australia Day Council before being awarded the Member of the Order of Australia in 2001. Janine has served on the board of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the youngest and only female director as is also the patron of the Australasian Spinal Research Trust and is committed to helping find a cure for spinal cord injury in the near future. Geoff Ogilvy Sportsmen

Geoff Ogilvy began Little Athletics with Mentone Little Athletics in Melbourne and still holds records in the 400m and 800m events over various age groups.

Geoff turned professional as a golfer in May, 1998 and won a European Tour card at that year's Qualifying school. He joined the U.S. based PGA Tour in 2001, and finished in the top 100 in each of his first five seasons. His first professional tournament win came in 2005 at the PGA Tour's Chrysler Classic of Tucson and in 2006 he beat Davis Love III in the final of the 2006 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Geoff won his first major championship at the 2006 U.S. Open, finishing his round with a flourish by making improbable pars on each of the last two holes. This success moved Geoff into the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time, at Number 8. Spending over 120 weeks in the top-10 of the rankings, Geoff moved to third on the world rankings in 2008 following victory in the WGC-CA Championships (his second World Golf Championship title), with success also coming the following year in the WGC Match Play Championship.

Earlier this year Geoff won the SBS Championship, the opening event of the 2010 PGA Tour. Hollie Grima

Sportsmen

Hollie was involved in Little Athletics from the age of 5 to 13 at Longford District Little Athletics Centre. Hollie was always an outstanding athlete, and today still holds 15 centre records across the long jump, high jump, triple jump and javelin.

When in the Under 13 age group, Hollie was a member of the Tasmanian team which participated in the Australian Little Athletics Team Championships in Sydney in 1997. Hollie placed second in the Javelin, equal ninth in the high jump and 13th in the Discus.

Between 2000 and 2003 Hollie attended the Australian Institute of Sport on a scholarship, and debuted with the Australian Opals Basketball team in 2002 on tours to China and Lithuania. Since then Hollie has been a member of the Australian team which won a bronze medal at the world championships in 2002 , a gold medal in 2005, a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and a silver medal at the Olympic Games in 2008.

On an individual level Hollie was the 2005 Basketball Australia International Player of the Year, and in 2006 was the WNBLs MVP.

Additional information:

Hollie’s brothers, Nathan and Todd, have played AFL for North Melbourne and Geelong respectively. Jane Saville

Track & Field

Jane started her athletics career at the age of four with the Randwick Botany Little Athletics Centre in Sydney, moving to the South Eastern Little Athletics Centre upon its establishment in 1988. In 1987 Jane was a member of the NSW state team that participated at the Australian Little Athletics Teams Championships in Darwin, where she won the 1500m walk.

After deciding to concentrate on athletics over her other sporting talents, which included swimming and surf lifesaving, Jane’s enjoyed a two decade long career as an international racewalker.

During her career, Jane proved her dominance in Race Walking throughout the Commonwealth and taking out gold medal in the 20km walk in 1998, and retaining the title again in 2002 and 2006. For her achievements at a Commonwealth level, Jane had the honour of being the Australian flag bearer at the in Melbourne.

At the Olympics Jane experienced both the highs and lows of her discipline. She competed in four consecutive Olympic Games. After gaining valuable experience in Atlanta in 1996, Jane had a strong preparation for the 2000 Games, breaking the 20km walk national record in May of that year. Jane led the field at the 2000 Olympics, and less than 200 metres from the finish line looked destined for victory, when she was informed of her disqualification. Jane showed great courage and character, recovering her composure to be publicly philosophical about her loss. This sportsmanship won her international praise which included Sports Illustrated naming it one of their Top Ten Olympic Moments.

Four years later in Athens Jane finally had her day in the sun, finishing strongly to win the bronze medal. Jane went on to participate in her fourth Olympic Games in 2008, sharing team captaincy with Steve Hooker.

Throughout her career Jane also competed at the World Championships on six occasions and at the World Walking Cup on seven occasions. Since retiring in 2009 Jane has continued her role as a health ambassador through her own community initiatives, which to date has involved a family based fun run and walk and an Indigenous Youth Athletics Coaching Clinic. Jane also continues her association with elite athletics as a member of IAAF Race Walking Committee.

John Steffensen

John started Little Athletics at the age of seven at Bayswater Little Athletics Centre in Perth after his parents decided it would be a good way for him to use some of his excess energy.

In 2002, after having pursued a career as an amateur boxer, John moved to Sydney to train specifically for athletics. Success quickly followed, with him being selected for the Australian relay team at the world championships the following year. A year later in 2004, John was a member of the Australian team which won a surprise silver medal at the Athens Olympic Games.

The success in relay events and a move to US coach John Smith buoyed John to greater individual success, making the final of the 400m at the 2005 world championships before defeating a world class field to win gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in a personal best time of 44.73 seconds.

Following Melbourne John has battled numerous injuries but still managed to progress to the semi-finals of the 2005 world championships and run a time just short of his personal best, as well as being an integral part of the Australian 4x400m relay team which made the final of the 2008 Olympic Games and won a silver medal at last year’s world championships in Berlin.

Never one to let you die wondering what is on his mind, John has established himself as one of the most colourful identities in Australian athletics and sport.