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Jamberoo Rugby League Club announces 2025 inaugural sponsor
Jamberoo Rugby League Club announces 2025 inaugural sponsor

06 November 2024, 6:00 AM

The Group 7 Jamberoo Rugby League Club (RLC) have officially got a new name, the Jamberoo Golden Valley Superoos. The announcement comes alongside the introduction of their 2025 inaugural sponsor: the developers behind the Golden Valley subdivision.Jennifer Macquarie, Director of the Fountaindale Group, the developers of the Golden Valley  subdivision, says the partnership with the club is an honour and a great opportunity for both parties.“We’re very excited to be doing this because we know that clubs like this are the backbone of small towns,” says Macquarie. “This subdivision will bring 50 new families to Jamberoo, and what better way for them to integrate into the community than by getting involved with and joining the football club?”Trevor Dallas, President of the Jamberoo RLC, describes the partnership as a significant financial relief for the club, adding that it strengthens the connection with the community.“As a small community trying to field a first-grade side, there’s a lot of pressure. There are cost constraints, and having the Fountaindale Group on board to support us really gives us a vote of confidence. It’s reassuring to know that the community is behind us and wants to see us succeed,” says Dallas.Jamberoo has produced a number of outstanding rugby league players over the years, but Dallas acknowledges that, due to the town’s size, the club must rely on recruiting players from outside the area—something that can be financially challenging. The new sponsorship will help address this.“While we’ve been fortunate to have junior players progress to higher levels, we’re a club that needs to bring in outside players to remain competitive, and that’s costly,” says Dallas.David Hall, Vice President of the club, highlights that the new subdivision will not only bring in new families but also new contributors to the club, helping to sustain its growth.“This is great for both groups – Fountaindale and us. They’re bringing more people into Jamberoo, which means more potential supporters and contributors to our club, and that’s something we really appreciate,” says Hall.Macquarie agrees, adding, “We hope to deliver new young players, volunteers, and bring a fresh energy to the community.”After a challenging 2024 season, where the team secured only two wins, the Jamberoo Golden Valley Superoos are optimistic about the 2025 season. With a number of new players already signed, Dallas is confident the squad will be much stronger.“We’re shaping up pretty well so far. It was a tough year last year – our long-term coach retired, and we lost a lot of players. But this year, the same coach is back after 12 months of preparation, and Jono Dallas is coaching alongside him. We’ve got a competitive squad, so we’re feeling pretty confident,” says Dallas.The Jamberoo Golden Valley Superoos will wear jerseys and club apparel featuring the Golden Valley logo, and their clubhouse will also be known as the Golden Valley Clubhouse.

Gerringong’s Lucy Darragh: 14-year-old surfing prodigy
Gerringong’s Lucy Darragh: 14-year-old surfing prodigy

01 November 2024, 12:00 AM

On October 26-27, 14-year-old Gerringong local, Lucy Darragh, continued her impressive 2024 by placing equal third at the final stop of the Australia/Oceania junior series, the World Surf League (WSL) Junior Pro event in Lake Macquarie.Darragh competed against many more experienced and older surfers, achieving third place, including a round-of-16 victory against 18-year-old Jahly Stokes, the winner of this year’s Australian Pro Junior Series. In the quarterfinals, she faced Sunshine Coast surfer Stella Green and clinched victory in the final moments of the heat. However, in a rematch against Stokes, she was narrowly defeated in a close heat decided with just five minutes left.“It was a really fun event; I was surfing with some older girls who were really good. Since it was the last pro junior event of the year, everyone was trying to qualify for the WSL world juniors. I was stoked to get into the semifinals. The competition was tough, and everyone was surfing well, so I was very happy with the result,” says Darragh.Darragh says surfing against such great surfers does make her a little nervous at first, but that once she’s out in the water - it all goes away.“It’s a little intimidating at first, but it’s good when you’ve got nothing to lose. I try to just surf as well as I can and have fun,” says DarraghLucy Darragh in action. Source: Larn Darragh.Darragh’s 2024 has included winning the Under 16’s title at the 2024 Billabong Occy Grom Comp as well as the Under 16’s title at the Taj’s Small Fries event in Western Australia.She is currently ranked equal number one on the 2024 Surfing Australia Junior Series, and her young age has not stopped her from setting her sights high for her future.“My goal is to get on the Challenger Series and hopefully reach the world tour, win a world title, and become an Olympian,” says Darragh.She has just begun distance education which allows her to do her schoolwork from home and she enjoys that - mainly because she can surf a lot more.“I surf twice a day everyday and sometimes three times if it’s good surf. It’s a really fun sport and it’s great getting out in the water,” says Darragh.Darragh’s favourite local spots include Aussie Pipe in Jervis Bay, but she can’t resist her local favourite, the beloved Werri Point break.Next up for Lucy is the Aussie Titles in December in Wollongong.

Pushing Limits: Minnamurra Local runs 36th ultra marathon
Pushing Limits: Minnamurra Local runs 36th ultra marathon

31 October 2024, 9:00 PM

On October 12 and 13, 47-year-old Minnamurra local Rob Mason completed his 36th ultra marathon at the Hume and Hovell Ultra Marathon event in Tumbarumba.An ultra marathon is defined as any run longer than the standard marathon distance of 42 km, ranging from 43 km to distances as extreme as the self-transcendence 3100-mile race (nearly 5,000 km), the longest recorded.The Hume and Hovell event was 100 miles (160km) and Mason finished third overall with an impressive time of 21 hours and 51 minutes. This race marked Mason’s return to competition after a year-long hiatus due to a hip injury“I was a little nervous going in, wondering how the injury would pull up, especially after the ten-hour mark, but it went really well and I ran probably better than I ever have. I did have a few issues during the race—I got lost, and my stomach went bad—so I had to deal with a couple of setbacks that cost me a couple of hours, but I managed to come through them and get a strong finish,” says Mason.Mason has been running ultra marathons since 2009 and considers his 2022 win at the Coast to Kosciuszko run one of the highlights of his career.“That course starts at Eden and ends at the top of Mt Kosciuszko. All in all, it’s a 240 km race, and I won that in 2022,” says Mason.So why do it? Why run these insanely long distances over and over again? Mason says that it allows him to realise he can do things he never thought possible.“When you go for those longer distances, it really becomes a mental game, and that’s where I love to find out what I’m capable of,” he says. “I think the sport becomes addictive because you're growing as a person while you’re training and realising that you can do more than you previously thought. I think humans limit themselves, and these races prove that you can do things you think you can’t and break down those limits you put on yourself.”Mason believes that these mental challenges and hardships not only allow you to run longer distances, they also allow you to test your limits in everyday life - if you can run 240km, what can’t you do?“It’s such a confidence builder and it helps you believe in yourself. If you can run 100 miles, then you can start a business, and you can be a great dad. It teaches you to go after things that you think you’re not capable of,” says Mason.In addition to his impressive running achievements, Mason has been a professional firefighter for 25 years, currently serving at the Shoalhaven Fire and Rescue. Throughout his running journey, he has raised over $21,000 for the burns unit at the Children’s Hospital in Westmead.His hip injury actually occurred while training for one of these charity runs—an ambitious run across NSW.Mason describes crossing the finish line after such an injury as one of his sweetest moments in the sport, which is why he hasn't yet chosen his next event.“I haven’t picked the next race yet—I’m trying to enjoy the feeling of this one. But I am back now, and I’m back stronger and wiser since the injury,” he says.

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