Group 7 referee Nick Mcinerny reached an extremely impressive milestone on June 30 when he refereed his 600th grade game.McInerny, who has been refereeing since he was 13 years old, says that his true love for the sport and continued support from family and friends is what brings him back year after year.“I started out as a 13-year-old and I did it because I was having a lot of injuries in my last year of footy in under 13s. And I wanted to take it up to stay involved in the sport. It does take its toll, you’ve got to have good support from the family and friends around you, which I’d be lost without,” says McInerny.Since beginning, McInerny has watched both the sport and refereeing evolve and he is so happy to see females finally being able to get involved.“There are a lot more games these days than there were when I first started. The games have gotten quicker, there's a lot more female participation now which is great to see, both playing and officiating which is good. And that’s one area which will be an issue going forward with all these other grades, having enough officials going forward,” says McInerny.Referees are as vital to rugby league as having a field to play it on, and yet they are subject to a lot of unfair abuse from players, coaches and spectators.This unfair abuse is one reason why referees are becoming scarce, and McInerny’s wish is that people involved in the sport would be more empathetic towards them.“Group 7 has been pretty positive in trying to foster a family attitude at games, unfortunately that isn’t always the case. Unfortunately there are still some people who believe that they paid their money to get into the gate so they can say what they want and do what they want,” says McInerny.“Some of the comments that I have had over the years have been quite derogatory, and people have just got to remember that we are all human, we will make mistakes which is part and parcel of the game, but we don’t go out there to deliberately make mistakes,” says McInerny.McInerny loves a game with a good atmosphere and teams having a real battle. Some of his most memorable games have been the various grand finals he has officiated which includes the 2013 grand final between Gerringong and Warilla which ended in golden point.“If you can get a game of footy where the two teams just play football and you can walk off the field after the game and no one talks about the referee, then I think the referee has done a great job in that game,” says McInerny.Fellow referee Ryan Micallef speaks very highly of McInerny and his service to both the game and the Group 7 Referees Association.“Nick is the kind of bloke to go about his work quietly and without any fuss. To do 600 career-grade games is a testament to his long-term dedication to officiating & rugby league in general. On top of his on-field refereeing, Nick has spent numerous years holding administration positions within our association, continuing to move us forward,” says Micallef.Group 7 Referees Association President, Jarrad Borg nominated Nick for a life membership in 2018 and is forever grateful for his wisdom and advice.“For myself, starting as a junior referee in 2007, Nick has been a cornerstone of my journey as both a coach and mentor. His extensive knowledge as a referee and his willingness to provide honest feedback made him an invaluable resource for all of us,” says Borg.McInerny assures that he is not quite finished yet, next he aims to reach the 300 first grade games milestone which has only been reached by one other referee in Group 7 history.

The Paris Olympic Games will officially kick off in the City Of Light tonight with around 6800 athletes from 206 nations, including Australia, parading down the Seine River.Australians who want to watch the opening ceremony will need to be up before the sun, with the event broadcast at 4.30am tomorrow (AEST) and running for around three hours. Paddler Jessica Fox and hockey veteran Eddie Ockenden will proudly fly the Aussie flag when they travel for six kilometres along the Seine onboard one of more than 90 boats. It is the first time in Olympic history that an opening ceremony has not been held in a stadium.The Games will be broadcast on more than 40 free-to-air channels under the Nine Network. Stan Sport will also broadcast the Olympic Ceremony ad-free, live and on-demand in Australia. Here are the Australian highlights for tomorrow (AEST):Artistic gymnastics (men’s qualification) – 7pmBadminton – 4.30-11.40pmBasketball (men’s): Australia vs. Spain – 7pm Beach volleyball – 10pm Boxing – 11.30pm Canoe slalom – 11pm Cycling road (women’s) – 10.30pm Diving (women’s) – 7pm Equestrian – 5.30pm Fencing – 6pm Hockey: Australia vs. Argentina – 9.15pm Judo – 6pm Rowing – 5pm Rugby sevens (men’s) – 10.30pm Shooting – 5pm Skateboarding (men’s) – 8pm Swimming – 7pm Table tennis – 11pmTennis – 8pm 

When the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics kicks off in less than two weeks, ten local athletes will compete on the biggest sports stage in the world.The Australian Olympic team also features the highest percentage of women in Olympic history, almost 56 per cent. Two of them who’ll don the green and gold are Hockeyroos’ co-captain and forward Grace Stewart, and tennis player Ellen Perez.This will be Grace’s third appearance after Rio 2016 where she made her Olympic debut and Tokyo 2020.“I think Paris is going to be incredible with everyone’s friends and families here, especially compared to Tokyo where we had no crowds,” the Gerringong-native says over the phone from Perth.Twenty-seven-year-old Stewart moved out west in 2016 after being awarded a Hockey Australia Scholarship to train with the senior team.Credit: Photo supplied by Grace Stewart.The Hockeyroos hope “to come home with a medal this time,” she continues. In Rio, the team lost to New Zealand in the quarter finals, and at Tokyo, India put an end to their Olympic dreams. But since then, they have worked a lot on the mental side of things. Because if it’s one thing that Stweart has learned from previous Olympics, it’s that, “nothing else matters until you turn up and perform on that day”. Stewart’s sister Lilly and Demi, along with her parents, will be watching from the stands in Paris. Both of her sisters are former hockey players, having represented NSW.“They like to tell me that they could definitely have been in the Hockeyroos if they stuck to it, so I tell them to come back and we can all play together,” she laughs.Playing with her sisters, cousins and best friends in Gerringong is how it all began. “That’s why hockey was so fun. Then I was lucky enough to continue down this path and get to where I am today. But it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t started playing in Gerringong on the grassfields and fallen in love with the game there,” she says.Credit: Photo supplied by Grace Stewart.Ellen Perez, Tennis Australia, grew up a bit further north of Gerringong, in Shellharbour. As a junior, she played for Oak Flats Tennis Club.Currently, 28-year-old Perez ranks as the seventh best female doubles player in the world, having won her biggest WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) doubles title this year.The Tokyo Olympics, her first, saw Perez partnering with her childhood hero Sam Stosur in the women’s double event. The team advanced to the quarter finals.“It was a huge honour,” she says over the line from Wimbledon.“Also, a huge responsibility. She was putting a lot of trust in me and she saw me as someone that she could do well with. Yeah, it was nerve-wracking but it was really exciting.” In Paris, where Perez will play doubles with Daria Saville, it’s coming full circle.Photo credit: Getty Images.“When I played in Tokyo, Sam was the leader in the team, the person who got me into the draw. Now, I’ll take that role as a leader and guide Daria.” Perez doesn’t want to set the expectations too high but believes the pair can win gold.“It’s a very open field. But that’s the thing, the Olympics isn’t even always about who’s the best tennis player but about who handles the occasion the best.”Ahead of her second Olympics, Perez says growing up in a smaller, more rural area has given her a sense of pride.It wasn’t always the easiest though. “Not so many opportunities, not so many girls to train with.”But now, it’s become a source of motivation.Photo credit: Getty Images.“I want to show people that you don’t have to come from everything, in order to make it. Hopefully, it inspires other kids to see that you can come through, coming from the Illawarra.”There’s been quite a few Olympians from the area, which is cool to see, she adds.On the 460 athletes-strong Australian Olympic team, announced on 10 July, the following athletes are from the South Coast area:Jessica Hull, 1500m Age: 27Place of birth: WollongongHometown: WollongongHigh school: Albion Park High SchoolJunior club: Albion Park Little Athletics ClubSenior Club: Bankstown Sports Senior AthleticsOlympic history: Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024Social media: @jessicaahullSarah Carli, 400m hurdlesAge: 29Place of birth: WollongongHometown: WollongongJunior club: Wollongong City Little AthleticsSenior Club: Kembla JoggersOlympic history: Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024Social media: @gracestewart_Blakers Govers, HockeyAge: 28Place of birth: WollongongHometown: WollongongHigh school: St Joseph’s Catholic High SchoolJunior club: Uni of Wollongong, Albion Park HCSenior Club: NSW PrideOlympic history: Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024Olympic medals: One silver medalSocial media: @blakegoversSaya Sakakibara, Cycling - BMX Age: 24Place of birth: Tallebudgera, QLDHometown: HelensburghHigh school: Kirrawee High SchoolJunior Club: South Illawarra BMX ClubOlympic history: Tokyo 2020Social media: @sayasakakibarraFlynn Ogilvie, Hockey Age: 30Place of birth: WollongongHometown: WoononaJunior Club: University of Wollongong HockeySenior Club: NSW PrideOlympic history: One silver medalSocial media: @FlynnO17Caitlin Foord, Football Age: 29Place of birth: Mt WarrigalHometown: ShellharbourHigh school: Illawarra Sports High SchoolSenior Club: Arsenal FCOlympic history: Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024Social media: @caitlinfoordKieran Woolley, Skateboarding Age: 17Place of birth: FigtreeHometown: ShellharbourHigh school: Holland Park State High SchoolJunior Club: Delta GymnasticsSenior Club: Delta GymnasticsOlympic history: Paris 2024Social media: @kieranwoolley_Tyler Wright, SurfingAge: 30Place of birth: NowraHometown: Adamstown HeightsOlympic history: Paris 2024Social media: @tylerwright

Norma Stead, beloved long-time caretaker and life member of the Kiama Tennis Club, turns 99 on Thursday, 25 July.The Bugle, on behalf of the Kiama Community, would like to wish Norma a great big happy birthday!Don’t miss the story on Kiama Tennis’ matriarch in the next print issue on 10 August.

On 2 July, junior surfer Lucy Darragh of Werri Beach claimed the most impressive win of her career – the under 16s title at the 2024 Billabong Occy Grom Comp. The final, full of twists, turns and unbelievable stoke, came down to the very last wave before Darragh was crowned the winner.The Occy Grom Comp is perhaps the biggest annual event on the junior surfing calendar, where the winner of each division gets a whopping 10,000 ranking points.Held at Gold Coast’s Snapper Rocks, revered among surfers for featuring one of Queensland's most consistent breaks, the competition attracted surfers from wide and afar, from Australia to Indonesia and Tahiti.Lucy Darragh had surfed really well in all the heats throughout the five-day event. In the final she faced local surfer Eliza Richardson. Darragh started with a 7 point vs. Richardson’s 2.83, and quickly backed it up with an excellent score of 8.17. Towards the end of the heat, Richardson got two great scores in quick succession (a 7.17 and 8.67), snatching the lead from Darragh with less than four minutes remaining.Celebration. Photo supplied by Larn Darragh.The Gerringong-native needed a score of at least 7.67 to take back the lead and bring home the title. She had priority and caught a wave in the final minute, surfing it so well that the judges awarded her a rad score of 9.10 out of 10.On seeing Darragh throwing everything at that last wave, commentators and former world champions Mark “Occy” Occhilupo and Joel Parkinson erupted with a “Epic surfing!”“When I took off, it looked really good. After the first turn, I was in rhythm with the wave. I was super happy,” says Darragh.Her goal for 2024 is to qualify for the International Surfing Association World Junior Championships. And this recent win brought her a big step closer.“It put me in a good position,” Darragh says. She has now won two 10,000-point events, Occy Grom Comp and 19th Taj's Small Fries Yallingup (back in January). The 10,000-point events draw the best surfers from the country as they aim to finish the calendar year on top of the rankings, which are part of the selection process for u/16 and u/18 athletes to represent Australia at the ISA World Games the following year. The top three best results are considered, and the highest ranked surfer will be selected by the end of December. “I’m doing pretty well in the rankings,” Darragh says, currently sitting second (25,550 pts) behind Eliza Richardson (26,100 pts) in the Under 16 Female-division. There’s only 550 points separating the two.Darragh explains that she needs one more 10,000-point win. Next up is Phillip Island Junior Pro in September, where another precious 10,000 points will be up for grabs.She has also been selected by the NSW Institute of Sport to participate in the Pursu32+ Talent ID camps for young athletes striving towards the Brisbane 2032 Summer Olympics.

Every Bastille Day, Kangaroo Valley bursts into vibrant celebration with the Friendly Inn Hotel Bastille Day Pétanque Festival. This lively event is a tribute to French culture, filled with colour, camaraderie, and culinary delights, beer, baguettes, and bravado in abundance!Set in the expansive beer garden of the Friendly Inn Hotel, the festival offers a mix of live music, coffee, pastries and baguettes. It’s a warm and welcoming atmosphere for participants and spectators.At the heart of the festivities is the game of pétanque (pronounced pay-TONK), a classic French sport similar to boules (pronounced BOOL). Played with metal balls, the objective is to toss the boule from a stationary position within a hoop, aiming to land as close as possible to the target ball on a 4-metre-wide, 15-metre-long pitch. Each team gets six throws, earning points for each boule closer to the target than the opponent’s. Skilful players can even knock their rival’s boule away, adding a strategic twist and much excitement to the game.The Coffin Cheaters rightfully won “best dressed” - Supplied by Donna PortlandThis year saw 28 teams of 6 to 8 members each. This festival draws crowds from near and far. Last year I thought one team’s drive from Wollongong was considerable, but this year met a team that had come all the way from Bathurst!Each year I am invited to play by my friends up the hill, the spirited ‘Beasts of Burrawang’ as I am adept at hurling heavy metal balls. Although this does get more difficult as the day goes on, depending on how much beer is consumed. Winning team: “Valley Gold”- Supplied by the Friendly InnTeams often embrace the festive spirit by dressing up in imaginative costumes. Participants range from Marie Antoinette accompanied by aristocrats with white curly wigs, white faces and rouge cheeks, to men in cow onesies or aviator suits.Though the Beasts played valiantly, we didn’t make it to the semifinals this year, unlike our impressive run last year. After a marathon of seven games, it was a bit disappointing, but we’ve learned a valuable lesson: next year, we’ll fully embrace the spirit of the event with costumes. I’ve proposed that we don French poodle onesies, complete with berets and faces painted in the tricolour of the French flag.Congratulations to Valley Gold for their triumph in winning the tournament! The Beasts will return next year, aiming for greater accuracy with our boules and sporting our poodle suits.:A shoutout to Kiama, Gerringong, and Jamberoo - surely, there are pétanque enthusiasts in these areas ready to form a competitive team!

KIAMA QUARRIERS - 030 WOMEN DIVISION 1 COMPETITIONKIAMA QUARRIERS 4 d GERRINGONG BREAKERS 0

GERRINGONG BREAKERS 030 WOMEN - DIVISION 1KIAMA 4 d GERRINGONG BREAKERS 0

GERRINGONG BREAKERS030 WOMEN - DIVISION 2GERRINGONG BREAKERS 2 d WOONONA 1

GERRINGONG BREAKERS 13 - 1 COMPETITIONSOUTHERN HIGHLANDS 3 d GERRINGONG BREAKERS 1

The Kiama Cavaliers Cricket Club has secured funding to upgrade their facilities at the Quarry Sports Complex.The grant was acquired by Local MP Gareth Ward through the NSW Government Community Building Partnerships grant program.“These upgrades mark a significant milestone for Kiama Cricket Club and reflect thededicated support from the local community. This was reflected in the petition thatwas collected in support of this grant,’’ says Ward.The money will help the club fix the shed and nets at the Quarry Sports Complex which will allow for safer and better quality training and matches.“These grants will help deliver two much needed projects to support cricket in Kiamaand our club is thankful for the support,’’ says Kiama Cavaliers Cricket Club Secretary Mark Burgess.The Community Building Partnerships grant program is focused on delivering positive social, environmental, and recreational outcomes, while also promoting community participation, inclusion and cohesion.  

Kiama Downs (NSW) won three gold medals in a close Masters Competition Final in the 2024 SHARKSKIN Australian IRB Championships on Saturday, 20 July.The Illawarra club also bagged two silvers and a bronze to finish atop the overall podium on 38 total points.  Broadbeach SLSC (QLD) came in second with 27 points and Alexandra Headland (QLD) third with 25 points.  Key to Kiama Downs’ success was Stephen Strong, who after 40 years of competing for the club, has announced his retirement from the sport of IRB racing.  “To retire on a win like this, you can’t script it,” he said to Surf Life Saving Australia. “People dream about it and I’m very lucky. “I’m just over the moon.” Adding to the occasion was getting the win over rivals Broadbeach. “There are only two clubs on the trophy, us and Broadbeach,” Strong said. “We’ve had a bit of a battle for the last couple of years, we won it, then they held onto it for a few years. “But it's nice to get it back, that’s pretty special.” In his swansong National IRB Championships, Strong added another gold (Male Teams Rescue) and a silver (Male Surf Race) to his medal cabinet.  2024 Masters Championship PointscoreKiama Downs – 39 points Broadbeach – 28 points Alexandra Headland – 25 points Caves Beach 22 – points Bondi 14 – points Kurrawa 13 – points Queenscliff 7 – points Thirroul 6 – points Port Noarlunga 4 – points Kirra 3 – points Nobbys (NSW) 3 – points Brighton 2 – points Barwon Heads 13th Beach 1 – point 

KIAMA NETBALLCADET ABEACHETTES 4 - 28 d KIAMA CENTRAL 7 - 9

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLCADET AKIAMA CENTRAL 6 - 27 d BERRY 1 - 20

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLINTERMEDIATE A KIAMA CENTRAL 5 - 15 d GERRINGONG 6 - 14

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLINTERMEDIATE ABERRY 3 - 21 d BEACHETTES 7 - 20

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLJUNIOR B COMPETITIONKIAMA CENTRAL 13 - 15 d BEACHETTES 12 - 10

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLJUNIOR C COMPETITIONKIAMA CENTRAL 14 - 8 d BERRY 7 - 7

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLJUNIOR C COMPETITIONGERRINGONG 10 - 12 d BEACHETTES 14 - 7