Sailing for the whole familyPeople seem to think that sailing is a very expensive sport, at Oak Flats Sailing Club that could not be further from the truth. In comparison to team sports, sailing is very affordable, to start sailing you don’t even need to own a boat!Local sailors established Oak Flats Sailing Club in a shed near what is now known as Deakin Reserve in 1950. We have a proud history for the past 75 years in the Oak Flats/Shellharbour community. We have gained a reputation of producing accomplished sailors, who have succeeded and progressed to be state and national title holders, including Spiral Class 4.6 National Champion, Sydney to Hobart runners up 2022 and overall winners 2023.Newly renovated sailing clubhouseWe pride ourselves on creating a secure, safe and friendly family atmosphere with lots of fun for all our members. We are a not-for-profit community-based sporting organisation. Oak Flats Sailing Club is proudly affiliated with Australian Sailing. Our newly renovated sailing clubhouse is situated in picturesque parklands at Deakin Reserve Oak Flats, just off Central Ave on the Southern Shores of Lake Illawarra. Our sailing is conducted Sundays from September till May weather permitting. Our sailing club provides a safe, fun sailing experience with beginner lessons at our sailing school held Sunday mornings, starting at 9:00am. Club races and beginner lessonsOak Flats Sailing Club provides Club Boats & P.F.D.’s (lifejackets) as well as expert tuition. We welcome people of all ages. For the more experienced sailors to quench their competitive thirst, our club races are held from 1:00pm till 4:00pm. Full on water supervision is provided by qualified volunteers using our powered support craft. Volunteers needed!

The Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams will join as one in a series of historic welcome home celebrations every Australian can enjoy. The Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia with the support of state and territory governments are set to host a series of 10 events in cities across the nation.These events provide a great opportunity for Australians young and old to meet the Teams, grab a selfie or an autograph with their heroes and be inspired by hearing stories of the Paris Games directly from our Olympic and Paralympic athletes.The Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams represent the diversity of Australian society with sports that are truly for every Australian. The diversity of Australian sport will be on full display at these welcome home events to inspire the next generation of athletes from across the country.Diversity snapshot of the Australian Olympic and Paralympic TeamsSide by SideAthletesMenWomenIndigenousAverage AgeNo. Sports*Australian Olympic Team4672062611126.533Australian Paralympic Team1609070431.317Combined6272963311527.750%100%47%53%2.4% *Sports Australians competed in at the Paris 2024 Games.Australian Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll AM was delighted to bring the two Teams together for one celebration of sporting success and display all the positive opportunities that can be realised through Olympic and Paralympic sport.“Bringing the two champion teams together is an opportunity for all Australians to celebrate what is great about sport. These welcome home events will be the first opportunity children and families will have to meet their Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic heroes, and really connect with their athletes.”“The power of sport will be on display, not only inspiring the next generation of Aussie athletes, but demonstrating sport leaves no one behind. Olympic and Paralympic sports offer all Australians the ability to have a go.”“The knock-on effect of greater inclusion in sport will only increase the overwhelmingly positive impact sport has on our society. Greater inclusion means more participation improving general health as well as mental health outcomes, both supporting greater productivity feeding into better economic opportunities for the nation.”“It’s critical at times like these we acknowledge the understated role of sport in the development and health of our community,” said Mr Carroll.  Paralympics Australia Interim Chief Executive Officer Cameron Murray said the welcome home events were a perfect finale to Australia’s Paralympic and Olympic campaigns. “Our athletes have shown the world the best of Australian sport and the best of the Australian character. But so much of what they achieved could not have happened without the backing of millions of Australians, who showed their support in so many different ways. “These welcome home events are a chance for our athletes to say thank you and to bring the message home that great things happen through sport. “Our elite athletes across our Paralympic and Olympic teams have united the nation through their performances, but they’ve also reminded us that all Australians deserve access to sport and the many positive outcomes it delivers, especially for the 20 percent of Australians who live with a disability. “As we move towards the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, this is a message we will continue to explain and amplify, at the same time as strengthening the high-performance pathways necessary to help our Para-athletes reach the top level.”Olympic and Paralympic Teams welcome home celebration scheduleDateEvent NameEvent TimeFri 13 SepNSW Welcome Home CelebrationTumbalong Park, Darling Harbour, Sydney11.15 – Media arrival11:30 – Team arrival12:00-13:30 - Public EventSat 14 SepQLD Welcome Home CelebrationSouth Bank, Brisbane9:00 - Media arrival9.30 – Team procession10:00-12:00 - Public EventSat 14 SepMelbourne Welcome Home CelebrationOlympic Park, Melbourne3:00 - Team arrivals (informal event)3:30 – Media arrival4:00 - 5:00 - Public EventSat 14 SepPerth Welcome Home CelebrationForrest Place, Perth11:30 – Media arrival11:45 - Team arrival12:00-1:30 - Public EventSun 15 SepAdelaide Welcome Home CelebrationRundle Mall11:45 - Media Arrival12:00 – Team Arrival12:30 - 1:30 - Public EventTue 17 SepCanberra Welcome Home CelebrationCommonwealth Park, Canberra (Floriade) Stage 8811.45 – Media arrival12:00 - Team arrivals12:30-14:00 - Public EventTue 17 SepSunshine Coast Welcome Home CelebrationFoundation Square, Sunshine Coast10.15 Media arrival10:30 - Team arrival11:00-13:00 - Public EventSat 21 SepTAS Welcome Home CelebrationRiverbend Park, Launceston10.15 – Media arrival10.30 - Athlete arrival11:00-12:00 - Public EventSun 22 SepGold Coast Welcome Home CelebrationHOTA (Home of the Arts), Surfers Paradise9.00 – Media arrival9.15 – Team arrival9:30-11:00 - Public EventTBCNT Welcome Home CelebrationTBC

 Australian Paralympic athletes Alexa Leary (swimming) and Qian Yang (table tennis) had stirring gold medal victories on Day 7. Leary broke her own world record, while Yang defeated a legend of the game and add to her remarkable success.For full coverage, visit: www.paralympic.org.au/SwimmingJust hours after Alexa Leary broke her own world record in the heats of the women’s 100m freestyle S9 at La Défense Arena she broke it again, this time earning Australia’s third swimming gold medal at Paris 2024. Leary clocked 59.53s, 0.07s faster than her heat time.  “I really just wanted to break the world record – and I did. I did it this morning but tonight was my show,” Leary said.  Among the other highlights was a bronze to Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson in the men’s 50m breaststroke SB2 and a bronze to Ricky Betar in the men’s 200m individual medley SM14 in an Oceania record time.  Table TennisQian Yang successfully defended her Paralympic women’s singles crown with a commanding 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 12-10) win over Poland’s legendary player Natalia Partyka. Yang skipped out to a two-game lead and was always in control of the match, overcoming a small fightback in the second and third, where she entertained the crowd by turning defence into attack. Yang said through an interpreter that her “concentration” got her through, and she was “very happy”. Road Cycling Only 48 hours after winning a gold medal in triathlon, Lauren Parker became the first Australian Paralympic athlete in 44 years to snag a medal in two disciplines at the same Games. Parker’s silver medal in the women’s H1-3 individual time trial headlined a bold opening day of road cycling for Australia with three silvers and two bronze medals safe in their keeping after the action at the velodrome. “It feels so good to walk away with another medal,” Parker said.“I put it all out there on the racecourse. I’m proud of what I’ve done today.” Wheelchair Basketball The Australian Rollers backed up from their quarter finals loss to Great Britain the previous night to score a faith-restoring 78-74 win over Spain in the first of their classification qualifying matches.Bill Latham scored 33 points in the win which leading player Tom O’Neill-Thorne said showed a lot of character.“I think in the past we would have rolled over and lost by 20,” he said. “But we really wanted to show that we’ve got that Aussie never-say-die attitude and we came through and got the win.” BocciaThe Paris Paralympics has come to an end for Daniel Michel and Jamieson Leeson after going down to defending Paralympic champions, Republic of Korea, 4-2 in the quarter finals of the mixed pairs BC3. It was not the fairytale ending the duo were chasing, after making history two days earlier by claiming silver medals in the individual BC3 competition, marking Australia’s best result in Paralympic boccia.  “To take it all the way down to the last ball, you wouldn't want the quarter-final to end any other way,” Michel said. “But we'll take the two silver medals… it has been an amazing couple of weeks for us over here.” AthleticsMali Lovell, 200m bronze medallist, came fifth in the 100m T36 Final, Rosemary Little came sixth in the shot put F32 Final and Luke Bailey had his first Paralympic final experience, in the 100m (T54) wheelchair class.“It’s always been a dream and I started to get nervous as we waited in the call room,” Bailey said.“It’s all worth it to get out in front of this big crowd and hear the cheering engulf you as you come up the straight.” EquestrianBlow-up boxing kangaroos, excited spectators and fellow team members were out in force to support Australian duo Dianne Barnes and Lisa Martin and their respective horses Sorena and Villagio at Chateau de Versailles.Martin and Villagio qualified for the individual freestyle on Saturday.“He [Villagio] is a little bit of an unknown sort, and I didn’t know how he was going to handle it,” Martin said.“I knew he had the quality; I just didn’t know what he was going to do in there. So, to get 70% at a Paralympic Games is fantastic and to have such a young horse do that, is great,” ArcheryTaymon Kenton-Smith earned a spot in the bronze medal match marking Australia’s best performance since Rio in 2016. Renowned for engaging with fans in a way few athletes can, Kenton-Smith’s presence was electrifying, turning heads and winning hearts. His blinding green and gold hair, his signature giant Wedgetail eagle feather hat and his unique style and flair, made him the undisputed star of the day. “I came here to win and, you know, I won the crowd, so that’s definitely something I will never forget,” Kenton-Smith said. 

It’s been a long time coming but on Saturday, 30 August, Kiama RUFC made it to the grand final. They did it in spectacular fashion, beating Campbelltown 26-24, in a nail-biting thriller that’ll be sure to go down in local rugby history.It was the kind of game that’s hard to explain unless you were fortunate enough to experience it first hand. For starters, it was a beautiful, balmy spring day and a huge number of Kiama supporters had made it to the Vikings Rugby Club in Wollongong to watch the first grade battle it out against Campbelltown in a do-or-die semi-final.Campbelltown, as expected, came out hard and fast, taking an early lead.Then around ten minutes into the first half, Kiama’s Atu Taufa was tackled and his head got caught, after which he remained laying on the ground. He had had his shoulder injured the previous weekend.After being assessed, a neck brace was put on and an ambulance called to take him to the hospital. “Taufa was in good spirits throughout,” says Smith.He also sends a special thank you to the nurse from Campbelltown, who quickly came out on the field to help assess Taufa’s condition and who stayed with him and the team until the ambulance arrived.It definitely wasn’t the start that Kiama had hoped for. Yet, returning to the field, the team played like there was no tomorrow and began scoring try after try, creeping closer and closer on the scoreboard. But Campbelltown, a potential final spot in their sights, wasn’t ready to give in and with ten minutes to go, it looked to be a sealed deal.Unless, you asked the Kiama supporters, that is. “Go Ki! One more try!” echoed around the ground. The team heard the call and kept pushing. With around 1:30 minute left of regular time, Kiama scored a try and had a successful conversion. All of a sudden, it was 26-24 to the Cow’s favour. After holding on for the last nerve-wracking minutes of the game, Kiama won and the ground erupted in a sea of black and white – family, friends and fans – all there to celebrate a well-deserved, magnificent and simply put, epic win.“Yeah, good. Hard game. Tough game. But this is what you want, you want these tough games at this time of the year,” says a moved coach James Patrick.“I was just happy we didn’t make any mistakes. We’re right on our line and the boys, I’m just so proud of them. Happy over what they’ve done. We got one more game, and against the best team in the comp. I feel sorry for the Campbelltown guys because it could have gone either way. And again, I’m just proud of our guys that we were on that side of it. We’re not winning these types of games so it’s very satisfying. I love it.”The grand final is on Saturday, 7 September, 3 pm at Collegians sports stadium against Shoalhaven. We can’t wait to see you there.The Kiama second grade fell short against Shoalhaven in their semi-final with 48-26 but congratulations on a great 2024 season!

KIAMA JUNIOR RUGBYUNDER 16 GRAND FINALKIAMA 46 d CAMDEN 5

KIAMA JUNIOR RUGBYUNDER 14 GRAND FINALAVONDALE 26 d KIAMA 25

KIAMA JUNIOR RUGBYUNDER 12 GRAND FINALKIAMA 14 d AVONDALE 12

KIAMA JUNIOR RUGBYUNDER 11 GRAND FINALKIAMA 26 d VIKINGS 7

KIAMA JUNIOR RUGBYUNDER 10 GRAND FINALKIAMA 41 d AVONDALE 26

KIAMA JFCUNDER 12 - DIVISION 1 COMPETITIONHIGHLANDS FC 1 d KIAMA COMETS 0

KIAMA JFCUNDER 7 MIXED COMPETITIONKIAMA GOLD played SHELLHARBOUR ORANGE

KIAMA JFCUNDER 8 MIXED COMPETITIONKIAMA BLACK played ALBION PARK

KIAMA JFCUNDER 7 MIXED COMPETITIONKIAMA COMETS ORANGE PLAYED KIAMA COMETS YELLOW

KIAMA JFC UNDER 7 MIXED COMPETITIONKIAMA BLACK PLAYED KIAMA RED

KIAMA JFCUNDER 8 GIRLS COMPETITIONKIAMA COMETS PINK 3 d KIAMA COMETS YELLOW 0

KIAMA JFCUNDER 9 MIXED COMPETITIONKIAMA COMETS BLACK 4 d GERRINGONG BREAKERS WHITE 3

The Kiama Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) launched a new patrol roster on August 29 in an attempt to make life easier for existing members and to try to inspire more people to volunteer.The new roster will make it easier for patrol volunteers to pick different hours and will make the overall process more flexible to accommodate for busy schedules. Kiama SLSC club captain Natasha Osmond-Dreyer has been captain for just over a year and she says one of the biggest issues she has found is navigating around people’s busy lives and she hopes this new roster will fix this issue.“Because our numbers are relatively small for how many hours we have to fill out throughout the season. It means that the impost on each person is quite high. In the past people would say to me, Natasha I'm only available on 5 weekends before christmas, 4 weekends after christmas and I can only do 4 hours on this day and 4 hours on a different day and I can’t do a full day of patrol,” says Osmond-Dreyer.“We have never been able to accommodate that. So we’re looking at giving greater flexibility for existing members of patrol and to try and bring in new members.” This flexible roster has been successful for both Bermagui and Killcare SLSC and Osmond-Dreyer utilised aspects of both of their systems to try and create the perfect solution for Kiama SLSC. “Members can now go onto a website and self-select their patrol teams, look at their shifts, choose to do a morning here and an afternoon here or a full day,” says Osmond-Dreyer.“It's really designed to increase participation, reduce the stress on each person. We want to really ensure that we maintain the highest quality of safety and service on the beach for the season. I’m hoping that it will increase overall engagement and be a more efficient distribution of time and resources on the beach.”To patrol the ocean for your local SLSC you need to have your bronze medallion, but Osmond-Dreyer says that they also need more volunteers on the sand and this only requires a first aid certificate.“Most people think that you have to have a bronze medallion to patrol. But you don't. The base qualification you need is a first aid certificate. Most other people on the beach will have a bronze medallion because we need people to be rescuing people in the water, but we also need people on the sands to deal with whatever comes in. There’s multiple ways to get involved with surf life saving,” says Osmond-Dreyer.In terms of why you should volunteer to be on the patrol teams, Osmond-Dreyer says it is a rewarding and fun experience. You are both giving back to the community and improving your own beach knowledge so that you can always feel confident in the many beaches Kiama has to offer.“For your own benefit you will get all the necessary training and skills to supervise yourself and your family on the beach. You would be more comfortable going in the water and knowing where to find a rip and what to do in an emergency. From a community point of view it's about meeting new people, making new friendships and giving back to the community,” says Osmond-Dreyer.“I genuinely believe that people feel safer, enjoying the water and the beach when they know that there's somebody to help them if they need help. You only have to look at the number of people who get into problems in rips at the beach to know that it is so well needed.”If you are interested in volunteering for the Kiama SLSC please contact Natasha at [email protected]. There are no minimum hours required, and Natasha is open to anyone who is interested.

The Kiama Knights under 16’s girls tackle team were crowned the Illawarra Group 7 Rugby League Merged Competition premiers on Saturday August 24 when they defeated Corrimal 14-10 at Wollongong’s Win Stadium.The Knights’ had a very impressive final series considering that when the regular season wrapped up they were in 3rd position on the ladder and couldn’t afford to lose any of their final series matches.Their first semi final was a do or die game against the 4th placed Collegians. Their next final was a preliminary final against the 2nd placed Western Suburbs and the grand final was against the 1st placed Corrimal team.They miraculously won all three games and president of the Kiama Knights Junior Rugby League Club (JRLC) Carl Middleton says the keys to their success was enjoyment and how close-knit they were as a team.“Whenever you saw those girls run out they were just having fun and enjoying their footy. They were really cohesive and they got along well as a team and a group. And when a footy team is like that and they gel like these girls did then the rest will just follow,” says Middleton.The girls celebrating after the hooter. Source: Kiama Junior Knights FacebookSome of the players in the team were new to tackle rugby league and both Middleton and coach Craig Simon say their improvement from the start of the year to now has been astounding.“Their skill level has been outstanding which is a big factor in why they win. It’s a credit to those girls because for anyone who starts rugby league it usually takes a little bit to build up your skills, but it appears that these girls just picked it up quickly. So it's a credit to Craig and the team around him, but mostly it's a credit to those girls,” says Middleton.“With half the side new to the team, some completely new to tackle rugby league, they all improved out of sight. By the end of the season they were coming to me asking to start the games because they were enjoying it so much,” says Simon.Simon says he is very impressed with how the Illawarra girls tackle competition has developed and advanced since its inception and believes this year was as good as he’s seen it.“Girls tackle is improving every week and it will continue to improve. The ball movement and reading of the game is getting better. But the defence, especially the tackling techniques, are standouts and it just makes the comp very competitive,” says Simon.The Knights won their grand final 14 - 10 and scored three tries. These were scored by Ella Churchill, Ella Greatz and Noa Lindsay. Their one conversion was kicked by Neve Higgins.

On 28 August, the Paris 2024 Paralympics opens, which will be the first-ever summer Paralympic Games to be hosted by France.From 28 August - 8 September, over 4,400 athletes from all over the world will compete in 549 medal events. Co-captained by Angie Ballard, eight-time Paralympic medallist in athletics, and Curtis McGrath, triple gold medallist in para-canoe, the 2024 Australian Paralympic team consists of 160 athletes. Out of those athletes, 61 will be making their Olympic debut.On Monday 26 August, in the lead-up to the games, the Minister for Sports, Anika Wells, announced that the Federal Government will reward Paralympians who win medals at the Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Games.“The investment by the Australian Government recognises the importance of Paralympic sport in Australia,” said Alison Creagh, Paralympics Australia President, in a media release.Creagh said that medal rewards, which Paralympians first received during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was a timely boost.“Knowing that their achievements are valued equally to their Olympic colleagues will give our athletes more confidence and motivation to compete at their best.”Tokyo dual gold medallist Madison De Rozario will be carrying the Australian flag along with Para-swimmer Brendan Hall during the Opening Ceremony.“Paralympians aren’t here in Paris for money – we’re here in the green-and-gold because of what it means to us to compete for our country,” De Rozario said.“But this support tells us as Paralympians that we are valued. It also tells the public that athletes with a disability are equal with non-disabled athletes.”