Sunday morning brought very cool conditions with over fifty Road Runners and supporters braving the cold for the 30km Club Championship as well as 15km and 5km events.

Starting from the Northview Gardens playground, runners took on the route through the undulating suburbs of Rural View, Farleigh, Habana and Nindaroo.

In the 5km event, multi-talented junior sportsman Damian Rutland revelled in the cold conditions, stopping the clock in 19 minutes 37 seconds ahead of Hamish Donnollan and Toby Rule.

Lily Leven continued her strong form to be first female across the line ahead of her good friends Millie Bishop and Crystal Hawkins.

Veteran runner Ricky Parker once again blitzed the course in 23 minutes 44 seconds with Jeanette Farrugia, Alleny Gorrion, Andrew Leggett and Colin Hardy all achieving great results as well.

Junior runners Luke Leven and Oliver Rule were on fire once again in the 15km, sprinting shoulder to shoulder the entire way with Luke finishing less than one second ahead.

Despite a brief misunderstanding of the course, Ryan Evetts showed great skill and grace to cross the line third behind the two youngsters.

First female Jose Short ran a well-paced and Carolyn Steginga stepped up to the 15km distance in a bid to increase her stamina and endurance before her first half marathon in Townsville in a couple of months.  

Alan Zamparutti backed up well in his 15km run after his pacing duties at the Mackay Marina Half Marathon two weeks prior before stepping up to cook the post-run sausage sizzle after his run.

Andrew Short followed Alan to the finish line ahead of Vicki Vickers, Marie Muscat and Ollie Gorrion.

Justin Rule led the quality field of 30 km runners from the start of the hotly contested race with Mick Scholer and Kay Nyenuh hot on his heels. A very focussed Kay finally reeled him in earning himself maximum club championship points as he steamed over the course for the gold medal leaving the silver to Justin and bronze to Mick.

Andrea Conroy set a great pace early in the 30km to retain the lead and gold medal for the entire 30km with Glynis Forse securing silver.

There was a very tight finish for third with Julie Whibley edging out Carmel Mahon by one second.

Runners are now looking forward to The Farmer’s Gallop 5km and 17km this Sunday morning, a historical run that has been a fixture on the calendar for nearly 45 years.

Kay Nyenuh (left) was the winner of the 30km Club Championship with Mick Scholer (right) finishing third. Photo credit: Belinda Rule

Junior runners sprinting the 15km event, first-placed Luke Leven (left) and second-placed Oliver Rule (right) finished less than a second apart. Photo credit: Janelle Tilse

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A young Mackay man is one of 12 announced in Squash Australia’s squad for the 2022 WSF World Junior Squash Championships.

Brendan “BJ” MacDonald will experience his first Junior World Championships when he travels to Nancy, France in August.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Brendan.

“It’s something I’ve been working towards for a long time so it’s good to finally tick that off the bucket list.”

Brendan says he’s been playing squash in Mackay since he was three years old.

“My Dad got me into it originally, he was great friends with the Courtice family who own the courts there, so I remember I was hitting balls on the back of the glass courts since I was three years old,” he said.

As he grew up, he trained with Mackay squash legends Rob Courtice and Kay Barclay.

“They both sadly passed away so after that I was mainly just hitting by myself and with all the guys at (Squash) 52 just trying to do my best to develop my skills without any formal coaching.”

As Brendan got older, he travelled to countries like Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand to compete against a different calibre of player and enhance his ability.

In 2019, Brendan was named the U17 Australian Boys Champion with an undefeated run in both individual and teams at the 2019 Australian Junior Championships in Devonport, Tasmania.

Throughout high school, Brendan was travelling to Brisbane as much as possible for training and tournament opportunities.

He graduated from St Patrick’s College last year and moved down to Brisbane earlier this year to train full time and study a double degree in Law and Psychology.

He says uni being predominantly online makes it easy for him to prioritise and manage his time while balancing study and training.

“It’s a lot easier for me to work around my squash schedule,” he said.

Brendan has a couple of tournaments lined up between now and the World Championships in August as well as a big block of training.

“I’ll be training with my coaches down here and trying to get my body ready for play over there and try and do my best over there,” he said.

He is well-acquainted with the rest of the Australian squad which also includes his training partner.

Brendan will be competing in the Men’s Junior Individual Event and says he hopes to use the experience as a learning opportunity, aspiring to play squash professionally in the future.

“I’m expecting to have a lot of fun, play against different kinds of players and learn how different countries approach the game and how they train so I can take some tips and tricks back for when I’m training to play professionally in the next couple of years and try to enhance my game through that,” he said.

This year marks the return of the 2022 WSF World Junior Squash Championships after the pandemic forced the cancellation of both the 2020 and 2021 editions set to be held in Australia and Egypt respectively.

National Pathways Coach Jenny Duncalf said she was looking forward to the fantastic opportunity for all players.

“All of the players selected have displayed the performance and commitment level to earn their spot in the Australian team for the much-anticipated upcoming World Junior Championships,” Ms Duncalf said.

“With the event having not been held since 2019, it is a huge opportunity for them to proudly pull on the Australian shirt on the international stage for the first time in a long while and will be eager as ever to perform and gain exposure against the world’s best.”

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Three games at home for the round five catch-up matchup between Whitsunday Brahmans and Mackay Brothers, an old rivalry that always proves physical.

The makeup match for a washout saw the U20s continue their steady incline right to the peak, hitting fine form at the right time of the year.

The young side started off the day with a winning tune, continuing to impress as they beat the Brethren 28-4.

They’re going from strength to strength, slowly climbing the ladder with their win against Brothers – a generally strong side in the U20s.

Reserve Grade Men weren’t able to keep the momentum going, losing out 32-36 against Brothers Reserves side.

The Reserves had a strong side, but Brothers have shown their strength in Reserve grade of the past few years, so it was always going to be a tough ask for Brahmans.

The home side fought admirably in what was a try-fest, but for most of the match, Brothers were firmly in the lead.

The Whitsunday side tightened the margin towards the end of the second half and almost came away with a win, though.

A Grade was again another loss, ending 10-24 against Brothers A Grade Men.

The team were near full strength but still missing one or two key players – a tough ask against Brothers who are equal first in the competition.

In the latter stages of the game, Brahmans clocked off, made a few poor decisions at times and it cost them.

Brothers were too strong in the end and took their chances when they were given to them.

It’s a tight competition in the A grade this year, with the ladder leaving most teams with a chance to make top five for a finals finish; three teams sit equal on 10 points in second, with Carlton on top with 12.

20’s coach Trevor Nosworthy said his were very strong defensively again this week against an undermanned but top of the table Brothers team.

“The boys played with intent and composure in the second half, leading to a comfortable win,” Nosworthy said.

“They continue to build each week with the online defence the cornerstone of the teams successes so far.”

The team will send all three grades to Sarina next Sunday.

The Whitsunday Brahmans had a troubled set of fixtures against Brothers at Les Stagg Oval

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An exciting round of football at the sports park had it all – close games, great performances, stunning goals, and some very physical clashes.

The U14 Div1 started the show with a steady run against a much improved Dolphins side. The Whitsunday kids hit the lead early with a goal to Reef Hansen in the first few minutes. He went on to score another shortly after and the side played good football to win 4-0 with Kai Draper and Charlie Fendley adding the extras.

The U14 Premier side had the upper hand against Crusaders but conceded a late goal to end up with a 2-2 draw.

U16 Prems suffered a rare loss against the run of play. They had the upper hand over the Crusaders from the start, leading by a goal for most of the game.  Jazz Knezevic scored a hat trick of spectacular goals with Tyler Jankowski chiming in too.

Alex Grossi's touch was sublime, setting up goals from corners and free kicks. Crusaders never went away and their GK kept them in the hunt – eventually beating the home side 5-4.

The Men's Div1 team celebrated their first win of the season. Josh Lowe starred with two goals and the side ran out winners over Magpies 3-1.

Men's Reserves had a strong game against the normally dominant Magpies Reserve side. Phil McAllister scored a spectacular goal to keep the game at a 1-1 draw.

The Premier Women had a drama filled game with the visiting Magpies team on the back foot and a a three-goal lead. A clash between United player Sari Goodall and the Magpies Goalkeeper saw the game cut short after 60 minutes, when both girls ended up in hospital. Thankfully, bothescaped major injury.

The Premier Men closed out the night with a dominant win over last years' Grand Finalists Magpies.

Despite an early sending off leaving the side with 10 men for most of the game, the Whitsunday side showed their grit and determination to take the win 3-1 after being behind by a goal.

Tommy Torzsok slotted two amazing goals to steer the side to the win with Kristian Mulholland adding the extra.

The win takes the side to second place on the table.

Contributed with thanks to Allan Milostic

Division 1 Ash Smith helping his side to their first win

Men’s Reserves Jake Flaherty having a great season - in fine form

U16 Prem Rale Mudford fought hard all day

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This week 75 people ran, jogged and walked the 5km waterfront course. 20 were new to Airlie Beach parkrun and eight recorded new personal bests.

They were Simon, Lachlan, Banjo, Kahlina, Poppy, Braxton, Natalie and Barbara – well done!

The event was made possible by 13 fantastic volunteers: Joanne Ahern (photographer), Nick Beecroft, Nathalie Blomme, Daniel Braddock (run director), Megan Drennan, Mick Drennan, Chris Hands, Caitlin James, Ronald McCall, Dennis Mundle, Laura Oates, Kara Olver, Aimee Sulzberger. Parkrun doesn’t happen without volunteers, so their efforts are appreciated.

Next week is the last Saturday of the month, so participants are encouraged to wear their milestone shirts. Several volunteers are needed on Saturday, please contact Airlie Beach parkrun on messenger or airliebeach@parkrun.com if you can help out.

Airlie Beach parkrun started on 5th December 2015. Since then 3,873 participants have completed 20,972 parkruns covering a total distance of 104,860 km, including 2,478 new Personal Bests. A total of 336 individuals have volunteered 2,879 times.

Every Saturday Airlie Beach parkrun meets at 6:50am for a briefing at area D, Coral Sea Marina (adjacent to the top carpark). Parking is free in the lower carpark till 9:30am if a parkrun barcode is placed on the dashboard. Post parkrun coffee and chat is held at My Rainbow Bakery, Shingley Beach.

The best-kept secret about parkrun is that it’s not about running - it’s about bringing people together in public parks and open spaces across the world to have some fun in a friendly, social and supportive environment. You can walk or run the 5k course (pushing a pram or with one dog on a short lead if you want to!), lend a helping hand as a volunteer in a wide range of super-easy roles, or simply spectate and socialise on the sidelines.

Contributed with thanks to Airlie parkrun

Most of the team of fantastic volunteers

A great way to start a Saturday

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Friday night saw the Bowen Mudcrabs travel down to Whitsunday Sportspark for a Mackay Rugby Union Round Two replay, and a top of the table clash against the Mama Africa Raiders.

The occasion was also the second round of the new Eclipse Financial Services Cup – a newly contested cup between the two geographically close rivals.

As is always the case in Bowen against Whitsundays, both teams were going to be in for an arm wrestle.

The first points were dictated by a penalty given to Raiders after 12 minutes, before – seven minutes later - the Whitsunday side breached the Bowen defences with a try out wide by Kainoa Close-Houston, with an unsuccessful conversion.

Bowen fought back with a converted try in the 26th, bringing it to 8–7.

Raiders were again dominating tackles after, putting in solid, consistent defence of their territory.

Big Nate Williams was again busting through the opposition line with strong carries, crossing in the 35th minute for a converted try and a half time score of 15-7.

Raiders came out of half time ready to show the big crowd, as well as the opposition, why they’re top of the table.

They kept the muddies from penetrating the defensive 22 and played the game in Bowens half of the field, running out a classy win, 41-7.

Stand outs on the day were Cameron Meurant, again leading from the front, Niall Clancy, a man possessed who took on the big boys without a blink of an eye.

Hone Casey-Bloomer had one of his best games to date, with some brilliant aerial skills and strong busting runs, as well as Nate Williams, who always drags in two or three defenders when he runs.

Tries on the night went to Kianoa, Nate, Jack, Hone, Bill Crossley, and Kumya.

Players of the night were Cameron Meurant, three points, Hone Casey-Bloomer, two points, and Niall Clancy, one point.

Mama Africa Raiders travel to Lions Park Mackay next week to take on the Kuttabul Camelboks at 3.30pm, who are now in second.

Contributed with thanks to Craig Spence

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On Saturday, the Cannonvale Cannons Swimming Club hosted its first winter swimming carnival – an extremely successful day with over 120 competitors taking part.  

Coaches Ken Crittenden and Mark Erickson were thrilled with the 34 Cannons who accumulated 91 personal bests.  

Jasper Korosec and James Davies were amongst the representing Cannons and swam extremely well in their first club carnival.  

The youngest competitor, four-year-old Harry Chegwidden swam a 10 second personal best in his 25-metre Freestyle.  

Harry’s sister, Eloise swam excellent times in her Butterfly, Backstroke and Breaststroke, winning each event.

Charlie Doherty, Koa Harland, and Isabella Pisaniello put in a mighty effort to achieve personal best times in all their races.

Don Algie, aged nine, won eight out of his nine events and swam five personal bests, while Jax Clayworth, aged eight, won all five of his events and swam four personal bests.  

Jax’s brother, six-year-old Zane was very excited with his blue ribbon swims, 25-metre Breaststroke and 25 Freestyle.  

One of Matilda Nicholes’ best swims was her 200-metre IM.  Matilda swam a massive 22sec personal best.  

Celeste Orenshaw and Isaac Pisaniello had a very successful carnival, swimming three personal bests and getting top placings in all their events.

One of Harris Delac’s best swims was his 100-metre IM in a time of 2.20.36 which earnt him a second-place finish.

Declan Dichiera swam a super 100-metre Backstroke in 1.47.38 which was close to a seven second personal best and earnt him a second-place finish too.

Maeve Dichiera and Addie Sanders swam awesome backstroke, while Evie Doherty, aged seven, swam a very smooth 25-metre Breaststroke in 30.34s.

Indi Smith swam a seven second personal best in her 50-metre Butterfly.  Indi’s brother, Levi won his 25-metre Backstroke in a time of 34.29s.  

Well done to all the swimmers and a big thank you to all the parents and volunteers who assisted.

Contributed with thanks to Raylene Rasmussen

Cannonvale Cannons winter carnival Juniors team

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Wednesday’s competition was a single stableford event for the men and Canadian foursomes for the ladies.

Ladies’ winners Robyn Slade and Claire Garrod 73.625 nett, runners-up Janice Bates and Jo Goldup 73.875 nett.  Men’s Winner Allan Cooper 38 points, runner up Gregory Fairs 37 points.

Saturday’s competition was a single stableford event sponsored by P&O Meehan Menswear for the men and Commonwealth Bank for the ladies.  

Ladies’ winner Bonnie Kohlhase 38 points, second place Robyn Slade 37 points, third place Elona Lynch 36 points.  

Pin shots to Robyn Slade, Morag Parker, and Lorrene Bell-Chamber, while Kim Bennion claimed the Car wash voucher.  

Men’s winner with a great score of 40 points was Craig VanVeen, second Kevin Cross 39 points, third Rodney Wells 38 points.

Pin shots to Allan Cooper with and OBP, Craig VanVeen, Andrew Menzies, and Michael Heinrich.  

This weekend’s event is a single stableford for Tim Warren Auto Air-Con and Electrical.  

Don’t forget to check the clubs Facebook page for this week’s dinner menu.  Takeaways still available.

Contributed with thanks to Grace Nott

Your June 18 winners at Bowen Golf Club

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Whitsunday Green’s weekly 9-hole competition was won this week by Nathan Nikolic on 23 points, followed by Deeray on 21 and Rob Lodders also on 21.

The club’s Friday 9-hole was won by Scott Hayes Williams on 23 points, second was Wayne Singleton on 22 and third Tyson Flavel on 21 points.

The Skins on Sunday saw Wayne Singleton impress, taking 10 Skins. Adam Singleton was Nearest the Pin. This week's 'Hole in One' goes to Kendal Nash on the 12th!

Contributed with thanks to Kate Cross

Kendal Nash Hole in One

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Monday, June 13: Self Selected Triples was won by B Brownnell, J Stamp, and J Beakwell.

K Wallace and C Frew defeated P Sullivan and M Hyde. R Hyde, D Richards, S Roome, and R Agg defeated D Bonora, L S/Collins and K S/Collins, R Payton.

Friday, 17 June: Winners for the afternoon were C Robinson, J Paynting, and B Dykstra defeated B Bellingham, G Howie, and C Bellingham.

Sunday, 19 June: Winners for the afternoon were J Detrex, M Hyde, D Leeson, and K Whitton. Runners Up were J Matfin, C Robinson, P Warren, and S Farrell.

Men’s Triples winners were K Baxter, P Hinschen, and G Danvers.

Congratulations to the Ladies Red Pennant Side of Denise Wallace, Irene Laird, Linda Smith, Penny Warren, Robyn Stitt, Lyn Danvers, Margaret Wilson, and Fely Duncan who won the District Red Pennant flag last week.

They had a convincing victory after claiming five match wins and 10 rinks wins. They defeated other district clubs from Macknade (Ingham), Ayr, and Jubilee (Townsville). Ayr were runners up in the event.  

The Marie Venn Trophy for the overall best team was presented to Robyn Stitt, Lyn Danvers, Margaret Wilson, and Fely Duncan. This team were undefeated, winning six straight games.

Contributed with thanks to Penny Warren

Marie Venn Trophy Winners Red Pennant 2022

NQ District Red Pennant Winners 2022 Wangaratta

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On Wednesday Social bowls, Alen Sanderson, Bruce Uhe, and Philip Brown defeated Jim Bownds, Mike Harrison, and Barry Zillmann 24–16, while John Anderson, Pat Bownds, and Sandy Daffara defeated Tom Jessop, John Lahney, and Peter Lawton 20–13.

Heather Brown also defeated Garry Alexander 25-21.

Saturday morning Semi Finals of the Club Championship Singles saw  Jonathan Bye defeat Garry Alexander and Gavin Milne defeat Scott Hamilton.

The second Semi Final of the B Singles had Brett Saroglia defeat Nathaniel Watts 25-20.

Saturday afternoon Final of the Club Championship Singles saw Jonathan Bye and Gavin battled it out before Jonathan finally won 25 - 21.  

Final of the B Singles saw Brett Saroglia defeat Bruce Uhe 25-13.

Champion of Champions are coming up with the Championship Singles being held at Souths Suburban on Saturday and Sunday August 20 and 21.  

Champion of Champion "B" Singles on Saturday and Sunday September 17 and 18 at Mackay City.

On Sunday Peter Lawton and Jim Quod defeated Philip Brown and Garry Alexander 31 - 15;  Alen Sanderson played double lead.  Alen, John Lahney and Barry Zillmann defeated Alen, Bruce Uhe and Heather Brown 19 - 18.

There is a working bee being held on Thursday June 23 at the club, starting at 9.30am.

Contributed with thanks to Heather Brown

Club Championship Singles winner Jonathan Bye (right) and Runner Up Gavin Milne (left)

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Tuesday afternoon, 24 bowlers competed for the prizes on offer with an outstanding win coming from Nik Fernbach, Pam Collins, and Paul Tobias.

Wednesday afternoon bowls saw another 24 bowlers competing for the prizes and the outstanding winners of the day was the team of Russell Jackson, Lu Rogan at lead, and Glenys Pepyat at second.

Wednesday night’s Business House Bowls played its penultimate game with Hadlow Racing and PRD leading on 18 points, and Kitties and Whitsunday Gold Coffee A team on 16 points and last season’s winners on 15.

Saturday morning saw the return of John Askew’s Scroungers with the first-round winners Eric Barnard, Andy McDougall, Rick Galea, Margo Stanley, and Ladda Purdie and the final between Rick Galea and Ladda Purdie, who claimed a last end win.

The school’s competition is coming to an end with 12 players left from the three high schools involved.

Sunday after we had our boys travel again to Mackay city to compete in the district B grade fours with two teams skippered by Ray Edwards and Neil Moore representing the club.

Sunday afternoon saw 20 bowlers competing for the prize, won by skipper Steve Lawrie with Elaine Kippen at lead, and Paul Tobias.

Contributed with thanks to Mark Mawson

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An Airlie Beach local and Hamilton Island fireman is making a name for himself as a serial podium finisher, claiming the second overall spot at the Ironman Cairns 70.3 earlier this month.

Ironman Dan McDonnell finished the gruelling 1.9km swim, 90km bike and a 21.1km run in 4:07:33, just 90 seconds behind winner and ex-professional Ironman Jamie Huggett

The 2022 Ironman was McDonnell’s second outing on the Cairns course, where just a year ago he competed in the sport for the first time, placing third in his age group of Male 18-24.

Coming off the back of another third-place finish for his age group at the 2021 Sunshine Coast 70.3 Ironman, McDonnell finally claimed a top spot finish with his performance in Cairns on June 9 – one he was “ecstatic to have achieved”.

“It feels like home turf because I grew up in Cairns, especially with all the family and friends there to support me,” McDonnell said.

“I think that was the major difference. I was so calm going into it – I spent the night before with family. It was that and another year of training, I think.”

McDonnell - who usually smashes through the running section of the ironman - spent the last year training up his swimming and biking.

As a youngster, he was a state-level cross country runner and revelled in the half-marathon distance presented by ironman.

“That was what the focus of the year of training was, and all three disciplines I did better: I swam better, I rode better and they set each other up,” McDonnell said.

“I stayed with the forward pack the entire time and when I got to the run, I got to work.”

McDonnell will move up into the 25 to 29 age group next year and hopes to attain a professional contract within the next six months.

Ironman athletes hit their prime in their late 20’s to early 30’s.

He’s now looking ahead to the Sunshine Coast 70.3 and a trip to the United States to compete in the Utah Ironman.

If he performs well, the chances are high the young Whitsunday star could make the grade.

He’ll be competing at the upcoming Airlie Beach Marathon as well, where he holds the first-place crown for the Half Marathon distance.

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There’s something in the water in Proserpine turning local high school students into exceptional volleyballers.

Two ex-Proserpine State High School students have this month made the grade to represent at state level: Cooper Goodwin in the U23 men, and Kasey Hogan in the U23 women.

Two current students have claimed a spot in the Queensland U19 men and women teams in the last week, respectively: Connor Turner and Breeana Mackay.

And the talented 20-year-old and ex-student Sam Flowerday has headed off to compete in Brazil at the Volleyball Nations League, representing the country as a Volleyroo.

Proserpine High School teacher and volleyball head coach Ben Smith laughingly calls the volleyball contingent the “Proserpine Cult”.

“They love it. I think that’s what it is – they play every single day and that’s just it,” Mr Smith said.

“We see an athletic kid at school and we push them: ‘Hey, come and try volleyball.’ If they’re good, they train, and they’re committed, they always turn good.”

The past Proserpine alumni Goodwin, 20, currently plays Brisbane Premier League volleyball, and Hogan is training as part of the Australian Institute of Sport.

Turner, a grade twelve student, will travel to Sydney in July to compete in nationals, while Mackay has been selected as a shadow for the female squad.

In the month Turner heads to the U19 level state competition, the school is expecting to have a number of students announced as making the U14 to U18 Queensland sides, too.

But all those players have an idol to look up to in Sam Flowerday.

Now a Thompson Rivers University volleyballer in Canada, having signed up as part of the college team known as ‘WolfPack’ where he faces top-tier, young American talent – some of the very best in the world - Flowerday has again been given the opportunity to pull on the green and gold Volleyroos kit and play for Australia.

But he’s no stranger to representing his country; Flowerday played at the Australian Volleyball Academy for two years, represented in both indoor and beach volleyball at the youth levels for Australia, and this Volleyball Nations League in Brazil will be his second.

He was part of the extended roster for last year’s summer iteration of the tournament, but unfortunately didn’t make an appearance.

At 20, the 6’4 Proserpine product and outside hitter played his first volleyball game in grade 9 and has been on an astronomical rise.

In this Volleyball Nations League – which began in early June - he’s played against Brazil, Slovenia, Iran, Netherlands, Canada, and Bulgaria so far, with his next fixture against Poland on June 25 tomorrow.

It’s an opportunity for the young starlet to continue to perfect his craft against the upper crust - Brazil chief among them; a team that finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics. He’ll also have the opportunity to play Germany, Japan, France, and Argentina.

"I’m extremely grateful and honoured to be wearing the green and gold again and representing my country," said Flowerday.

"I am looking forward to learning and growing even more, not only as a player but also as a person."

Proserpine, a small country-town of roughly 3,000, has a big, volleyball-shaped heart – and it’s beating strong.

Written by Declan Durrant

Sam Flowerday is the upper echelon of Proserpine State High School’s volleyball alumni, pictured here spiking for his Canadian college team

The young prodigy is becoming the northern star of the school’s volleyball “cult”, making his Australian debut

Flowerday (third from the left), is staking his claim for the outside hitter position in the Volleyball Nations League

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Bright blue skies and a strong headwind greeted competitors at the annual Whitehaven Beach Run as they disembarked the Cruise Whitsundays ferry and stepped onto the silica sands of Whitehaven Beach last Sunday.

A total of 281 athletes participated in the challenge, competing in a variety of events – the five- and 10-kilometre races, a half marathon and a junior run.

With the youngest just four years old and the oldest 71, the race was open to everyone and saw people from as far afield as Victoria, NSW, South Australia, West Australia and the ACT compete.

Part of the Hamilton Island Endurance Series, the next event will be the Hilly Half Marathon which takes place on Sunday, April 30, 2023.

Roland Henderson Wins Half Marathon

A Jubilee Pocket local took home a win for the Whitsundays, coming first in the half marathon, an achievement he says took him by surprise.

“I was really quite chuffed – couldn’t believe it!” said Roland.

“It was wonderful to run on the beach in the beautiful Whitsundays – where would you rather be!”

Roland completed the 21 kilometres stretch (which is two laps of Whitehaven Beach) in one hour 26 minutes and 55 seconds.

Originally from Canberra and a self-confessed ‘athletics kid’, Roland moved to the Whitsundays 12 years ago.

A member of the Whitsunday Running Club, he has enjoyed competing in half marathons up and down the coast from Mackay to Townsville but says this is his first big win.

Rolland had his partner Allison with him to cheer him on.

Riana Wronski Wins The 5k

Coming first for the women in the five-kilometre beach run, Riana completed the course in just 22 minutes and 53 seconds.

Practicing regularly at the weekly Airlie Beach parkrun, Riana can often be seen wheeling her double buggy containing her children; three-year-old Harry and eight-month-old Grace.

Keen to get back into running after having her littlest child, Riana said she was excited to start off with the five kilometres and is looking forward to training more so she can compete in longer distances in the future.

“I led the ladies’ race the whole way which was incredible,” said Riana.

“I was waiting to be overtaken at the turnaround but we headed right into the southerly wind and I made it all the way in the lead.”

Making a day of it, Riana brought her family along to cheer her on and said that the whole day was incredibly well organised.

She also wanted to mention the achievement of local Aimee Sulzeerger who came second for the women in the half marathon and is currently in training for an Ultra Marathon.

1 and 1b – 281 athletes compete in the annual Great Whitehaven Beach Run

Rolland Henderson crosses the finishing line2b – Rolland accepting his award

Riana Wronski wins the 5km

Riana with her two children after the race

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