Olympic distance walker Rebecca Henderson capped off an eventful 2021 by winning the Open Women’s section of the 1.4 km Point Lonsdale Rip View Swim Classic on December 30. 
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It was the second consecutive win for Henderson, 20, who also won the title in 2019. The 2020 event was cancelled due to COVID-19.

“It was really nice out there, the waves died down and it was a beautiful day for it,” said the Berwick-based Henderson, who earlier in the day finished second in the 3.6km event. 

Earlier in the year, Henderson wore the green and gold while competing in the 20km road walk in Tokyo. 

“I like to do a bit of everything and obviously race walking I’m training for a lot at the moment, but I was doing triathlon a few years ago and open water swimming and I’ll come back to racing that competitively  at some point. But at the moment, whenever I can, I just try to get in the water because I love it, it’s so much fun.”

After threatening over recent years, Matt Gilling finally secured a win in the Men’s Open event, defeating multi-race winner Sam Sheppard, who finished second. 

“It’s always good to get one back on Sam because he’s definitely got me plenty more than I’ve got him,” he said. 

Originally from Ocean Grove, Billings now lives and trains on the Gold Coast.

“I’ve transitioned from a pool swimmer into a surf ironman, which is what I do now… obviously being from down here I still come home for Christmas and I try to do as many swims as I can.

The event attracted around 900 swimmers, despite COVID and the event being held mid week. 

“We did in fact have the highest number of pre-registrations we’ve every had but I think some of those factors were at play and kept some away on the day,” said Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club president Charlie Pitney.

​"It’s actually been really challenging to host the event this time and we were really lucky to get some new sponsors come on board,” he said.

​NETBALL – Former Queenscliff A-grade netballer Katrina Daws is returning to the club in 2022 at senior coach.

Daws, who has also played with GFL clubs Belmont and St Marys, is a familiar face having played for the Coutas in 2017.

In recent years she has held several youth coaching roles including with regional representative team the Geelong Flyers and as Head coach at Geelong College.

“Katrina has been mentored by some of the state’s best coaches, so she brings with her a wealth of knowledge, experience and the drive to take on her first senior coaching role at Queenscliff,” the club said.

“Her values and professionalism align with our club culture; she is engaging, positive and inspiring. Katrina is passionate about player welfare and her coaching philosophy is something we are very excited about.”
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Daws replaces Bridgitte Burns, who held the senior coaching role for two seasons.

FOOTBALL - Queenscliff’s new senior coach says he will not be setting unrealistic goals for the club ahead of next season.

Instead, after two challenging years, with limited matches and social events, Rory Nicol wants his players to enjoy being back on the field and kicking a footy again.

“I feel not a heap needs to change to be honest. I just need to grab the baton that [former coach] Steve Clark was carrying and run with it,” he said.

“Obviously I’ll implement some different things because I have a different style, but I’ll just be looking to compliment Steve’s hard work and look to develop the exciting list, which I’m looking forward to.

Clark stood down at the end of last season after four years in the role.

“I’m not going to have big expectations. We’ll just try to be the best we can be and see how far that takes us.”

As coach for four years up until 2020, Nicol is credited with turning around the fortunes of rival BFL club Newcomb and ridding it of its ‘easy beats’ tag. He has also coached at VFL and GFL levels.

Nicol has signed on for two seasons, becoming the 135 year old club’s 35th senior coach.

He said was not necessarily looking to take on a new coaching role, but Queenscliff’s culture and its talented list of youth proved too tempting.

“I was really impressed with how the club’s travelling off field, they’re very organised and have a strong volunteer base. I just found it was a very welcoming, warm community football club.

“The flip side to that is what Steve’s been able to do over the last couple of years to put some game time into the younger guys, the 17, 18 and 19 year olds. They’re at a point we’re they’re probably ready to develop further and play some more regular senior football. There’s a lot of improvement in the list,” he said.

“If you use Ocean Grove as an example, they’ve gone through a youth policy and everybody probably tipped them to finish in the bottom two or three and they just came out and surprised everyone and won a final.

“We’re going to be young, so who knows what we can achieve.”

Queenscliff Football Netball Club president Rowan Martin said Nicol was appointed after an extensive recruitment process and from a field of impressive applicants.
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“Of the short-listed candidates whittled down from an early list of eight potentials for the role, the final candidates presented and interviewed extremely well but Rory was deemed to be the best fit for our club,” he said.

When Victoria went into its first full lockdown early last year, Olympic rower Ria Thompson unpacked a car full of gym equipment and, with a new puppy at her side, got stuck into training on the back deck of her parent’s Point Lonsdale home. 

It was a long and challenging road to Tokyo for the 23 year old, with multiple lockdowns, quarantines and of course the cancellation of last year’s Olympics, but one well worth the pain with Ria securing what was deemed an unlikely bronze medal in the women’s quadruple sculls. 

With 500 metres remaining in the final race, Ria and team mates Rowena Meredith, Harriet Hudson and Caitlin Cronin, stormed home to snatch third place from Germany - behind China and Poland - in what commentators described as a “fairytale finish”. 

In a perfect world Dad Craig and Mum Kerri would have been in Japan cheering Ria on. Instead they watched from their Point Lonsdale lounge room. 

“We’ve been at 99.9 per cent of all of her major races, even the overseas ones,” Craig said. 

“As a parent, it’s really disappointing and tough not to be there, but that’s just part of the world we live in at the moment, and a lot of people have had it a lot worse than us being locked down in Lonnie.” 

Ria, a 2019 World U/23 single sculls champion, had been in training at the National Rowing Centre in Penrith when the COVID-19 national emergency was declared. 

“They were in lockdown like everyone else and not allowed to row for that period so she came home with a car full of gym equipment and trained on the back deck,” said Craig. 

Her “most important” training partner, a Border Collie puppy named Tokum, was by her side the entire time.  

Raised in Woodend and schooled in Melbourne, Ria was to have commenced a Doctorate of Medicine at Queensland University, but when last year’s Olympics were postponed, put her studies on hold. 
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Tokyo was her Olympic debt. She flew back into Australia and straight into a further 14 days of quarantine. 
“The hurdles that they’ve had to overcome just to get there have been immense, but the whole way through the entire team has been incredibly resilient and just made it happen,” Craig said.

Point Lonsdale surfers Lucy Naylor and Jay Phipps have been crowned state champions in their respective age groups, after the Victorian Junior Surfing titles were declared last month. 

The talented teens were leading their tables in the U/18 girls and U/14 boys sections after two  of three finals heats. 

The third and final round was to have been held at Bells Beach this month, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Naylor took out heat one and posted a third in the second heat for an end of season tally of 1730 points. 
Point Lonsdale's Minnie Vorath finished in third place in the age group.

Phipps ended the season with a commanding 2000 points, having won both heat finals. 

"It feels so great to finish up on top especially for my last year in the juniors," said Naylor. "Hopefully comps will resume soon. We find out on the 14th of September whether the Australian Titles will go ahead." 
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The Woolworths Victorian Junior Surfing Titles is the exclusive qualification pathway for the State's elite junior competitors for selection into the Victorian Junior Surfing Team, set to compete at the Australian Junior Surfing Titles later in the year.

A four-year journey to raise awareness of Australia’s first touring international sporting team has had a fitting end in Queenscliff. 

Having travelled through 11 different municipalities and throughout England, the Mullagh Wills Foundation chose Queenscliff as the last destination of a message book that celebrates the original journey of Australia’s first Aboriginal Cricket team, which left from the town in 1868. 

To mark the book’s arrival, Foundation members and dignitaries attended a traditional smoking ceremony and Queenscliff and Anglesea B-Grade cricket teams competed for a newly-struck Mullagh Wills shield on Saturday February 29. 

“We saw the message book as an opportunity to talk about reconciliation through sport,” said Foundation Chair Jane Nathan. 

“That book has now travelled the same journey as the original team and it is absolutely pivotal that it came to Queenscliff because this is where they left on that journey.”

“It was an extraordinary story and we have got the opportunity here today to say it’s done its journey,” Ms Nathan said.

With the Victorian Aboriginal Protectorate Board threatening to stop them leaving the country, the team of 13 Aboriginal cricketers, mostly from the Western District, boarded a boat from Queenscliff for a “fishing trip” but never returned. 

They spent 125 days touring England and played cricket on 99 of them. 

Ian Friend, an ancestor of Captain Charles Lawrence, who organised the fishing boat, showcased original photographs and momentos of the tour, including a cricket bat. 

“It’s a great story and the thing is the tour was widely supported by everyone, it was only the Protectorate Board that said no,” he said. 

“Queenscliff is a special part of the story because this is where the team left on a fishing trip to become Australia’s first international sporting team. When you think of it that way, it is really significant.”

Foundation co-founder and secretary Ian Coutts spoke to school children at the Borough’s three primary schools ahead of the official event. 

“It’s a story that needs to be told and more people should know about it,” he said. 

Queenscliffe Mayor, Ross Ebbels said he hoped the event would now be recognised annually, both with a cricket game, and through a broader celebration.  
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“We want to know more about our indigenous history and one way to do it is to start with this first Australian cricket team tour to England,” he said. 
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The game of croquet is very much back in vogue in Queenscliff, with the town’s century old croquet club now boasting more than 50 members and still on the look out for more.

A determined effort to introduce newcomers, through come and try days, coaching and improved visibility, has swelled numbers to their strongest in recent years.

And a new partnership between Croquet Victoria and the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA), which re-affirms the health benefits of the sport, is set to grow participation even further.  

 “This is a group of local Queenscliff croquet Club players who exemplify the benefits of regular exercise and activity, fellowship and fresh air,” said club secretary Denise Spark.

“Many of the members are over 90 years of age and are formidable opponents.”

“Croquet is played all year round on a social basis as well as competitive, and is stimulating both physically and mentally,” Mrs Spark said.

Encouraging members to wear their red shirts when they take to the courts, on the prominent King and Hesse Street intersection, has been credited with helping to lift the club’s profile, as has its regular come and try days.

“Members participate in a region-wide pennant competition or play socially, and new members are always welcome,” said Mrs Spark.

The APA recently released two videos – one for participants and one for health professionals – highlighting the croquet’s benefits, particularly for the elderly, because of range of gentle physical movement involved.

They’ve only just started their second season, but Seb Monahan, Charlie Saunders and  twin brothers Mathew and Luke Lawrence are already mixing it with some of the Geelong region’s best lawn bowlers.

The 16 years olds are all representing Queenscliff in the division one competition, jumping up from division five last year.  

Having played cricket throughout their junior sporting years, all four boys last season decided they wanted to try something a little different.

“There’s a bit of family history here and I was keen to change it up and find new that I'd enjoy doing and a couple of cousins and my mate followed along,” said Seb.  

 “I love it, I can’t see myself changing to another sport anytime soon.”

 “It’s kind of a surprise to be in Division 1, but we all improved a lot quicker than we thought we would,” Seb added.

The four are among a growing number of young people taking up lawn bowls, once regarded a sport for retirees.

“We love playing with the older team members, they’re a lot of fun and they all get around us and encourage us,” Seb said.

NETBALL - Queenscliff junior netballers have dominated at the BFNL Best and Fairest vote count, with players featuring among the awards in almost every grade. 

Kaitlin Gladman, Amelia Bakker and Eden Henderson-Craig all walked away from the August 27 event with winner's trophies in U/19, U/17 and U/13 grades. 

For Gladman it was a case of three straight wins, having also won best player in the past two seasons. She polled 34 votes - nine clear of her nearest rival.

Bakker narrowly missed taking out back-to-back wins in the U/15 Division 1 count, finishing in second place, but clinched the U/17 division 2 award, just ahead of team mate Grace Butler. 

Henderson-Craig won the U/13 division 1 count with 31 votes - six clear of her nearest rival. 
Another six girls finished in the top 10 of their divisions. 
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The Queenscliff Netball Club also won the Team of the Year in the BFNL's Spirit of Sport award.

The Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club’s youngest ever president hopes his appointment encourages other young people in the community to step up to positions of responsibility. 

Twenty-four year old Charlie Pitney was elected to the position at last month’s Annual General Meeting, replacing Mathew Ponsford, who stood down after four years in the role. 

Mr Pitney takes over at what he describes as an “exciting” time, with work set to start as early as this month on a new $ 5 million clubhouse. 

“I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a very last minute and somewhat reluctant decision knowing the massive amount of work involved with being president of such a large volunteer organisation,” he said. “Having said that though, I have come to realise what an exciting time it is to be involved and that I will learn so much in this position.

“I am really excited about what lies ahead for the next couple of seasons. A number of older members have commented that it is exciting to have a number of young people taking the reins as we move ahead to our new clubhouse project as we are building the new clubhouse for the young members so us young members should have a say in the final product.

Pitney’s 16 year involvement with the club includes stints as club and vice club captain. More recently he chaired a group reviewing the club’s constitution. He also boasts a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Law. 

That combination of youth and experience he hopes will help ensure a strong future. 

In particular Mr Pitney says he is keen to lift community engagement, bolster membership and participation, develop new community outreach programs and raise the club’s profile through events, conference and training and development programs. 

He also wants to expand the reach of the club’s Nippers program, by introducing more “off-peak” activities. 

“I have three main passions that I hope to deliver through my presidency - firstly, keeping our beaches safe, secondly, helping young people to realise their potential and finally creating and fostering a strong sense of community around the club," he said.
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 In my term as Club Captain, I harnessed these passions and my energy to rejuvenating the life saving services team and I now hope that in my position as President I can deliver this to a wider range of our members. Outside of surf life saving.”  

Queenscliff has a team to follow in the AFLW, with Carlton indicating it is prepared to forge long-term links with our town. 

The team spent recently three days at a pre-season training camp, at YMCA Camp Wyuna, where players were put through their paces ahead of next month’s season opener. 

General Manager Nicole Graves said it was their first-ever pre-season camp, and proved to be the perfect setting.  

“We’ve had a bit of footy and a bit of rain and a bit of sun, we’ve had everything, which really suits because these girls play in summer and so the heat and the humidity has been really good for us,” Graves said. 

“The team at YMCA has been brilliant, they’ve really looked after us.

“This camp is what we thought was required to keep the girls together and keep them connected as a team… It really sets up good relationships and makes them bond better. 

“We have 11 new players coming in from the draft, a third of the team, so it’s really important that they get to know each other and it’s also good for new coach Daniel Harford to get to know them and see what they can do. 

“We only have two weeks break for Christmas, we have a month of training then they start in the first week of February.”

Carlton is the latest in a growing list of elite sporting teams choosing Queenscliff for their pre-season training, because of the amenities on offer.  

“It’s good for us because we can do the recovery in the beach, it’s still close enough to Melbourne and people have been fantastic around the town,” Graves said.

“We’re really lucky and there’s a lot of teams coming down here now. We’re already talking about next year.”

Camp Wyuna Manager Andrew Kidd said a growing number of clubs, both elite and community, were chosing Queenscliff for training camps. 
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"We have a perfect mix of parks, sporting facilities, running and walking paths and of course the beach to base a good mix of activities around."

Queenscliff cricketers have drawn the ledger in the second annual Couta Bowl 20-20 Clash, played on Saturday December 5.

Having been defeated by a team of local footballers in the first encounter, two seasons ago, the cricketers were determined to restore some pride. 

Opposing captains Tom Kidd and Tom Caddy provided solid captains knocks in the high-scoring encounter. 
Despite adopting "backyard rules" and fielding 14 players, the footballers still fell short by 30 runs - 234 to 230. 

The cricketers also scored bragging rights in the curtain-raiser U/19 match. 

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Six teams are flying the finals flag for the Queenscliff Football-Netball Club, including our senior, including our senior footballers.

Despite losing last weekend's final home and away clash against Ocean Grove, the Coutas finished fifth on the league ladder and will meet Geelong Amateurs in an elimination final this Sunday August 19). 

Had they managed a win, the Coutas could have secured second spot and a double chance. 

Meanwhile, our U/15 (Division 2) and U17 (Division 3) teams have moved straight into the grand final, with wins in last weekend's first finals clashes. Both teams finished on top of the ladder. 

The U/17's, coached by Luke Orvis, are looking for back-to-back premierships. 

And three netball sides are also in the hunt for premiership glory - U/13 (Division 2), U/17 (Division 1) and B-Grade (seniors).

All teams will be in action at Leopold this weekend. 

This weekend's games: 

Saturday August 18
NETBALL - U/17 - Leopold 10am
NETBALL - B-Grade - 1pm
Sunday August 19
FOOTBALL - seniors - Leopold - 2.10pm
NETBALL - U/13 - Leopold - 9am 

Construction of Queenscliff’s new netball facilities is back on track, with the State Government stepping in to help fund game day change rooms. 

The additional $200,000 comes on top of the $3.15 million already pledged by the government for stage two of the recreation reserve redevelopment. 

The Queenscliffe Council will contribute a further $400,000 towards the cost of the netball change rooms, which will also include a kitchenette and toilet. 

The grant will come as welcome relief to the Council, which recently revealed costs for the redevelopment project had blown out by $650,000. 

After several delays, work is progressing on the redevelopment, however the courts are now not expected to be finished before the end of the current season.  

Initial funding for the redevelopment was announced in the lead up to the 2014 state election and netballers were originally promised the courts would be ready for this season. 

Ms Neville conceded they had been “very patient” and had been forced to put up with “shoddy conditions.“
“We’re close now… hopefully [this] means were all on track and it’s all going to be done by September and I will be here to open it and I appreciate your patience along the way,” she said. 

“This is going to be a great facility, not just for you but also for the players coming through as well. 
“I can’t wait to be back here and shooting some goals,” she said. 

Mayor Susan Salter said she was grateful the money had been made available. 

“This funding will enable us to gorge ahead together to highlight the importance of creating an environment that supports health, wellbeing, inclusion and participation in sport,” she said. 

‘The community are very passionate about this project, it’s supportive of planned improvements and it’s fantastic to see their vision is coming to fruition.” 

The tender for construction of the netball change rooms has been awarded to BDH Constructions. 
Once completed, the redevelopment will also include four new cricket nets, a gymnasium and new car parking facilities. 
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Plans for the gym are currently being finalised. Council will complete that element of the project as an owner builder.