What would the Kiama Tennis Club be without Norma Stead? It’s a question worth pondering as the beloved caretaker recently turned 99. She’s been part of the club since it formed in 1953, and has seen it go from four clay courts in Hindmarsh Park to seven grass courts at Noorinan Street.But Norma herself takes it all in her stride. “I think about it now and well, I didn’t think I would be as involved in tennis, except that I always has,” she says. “Because I loved tennis.”Her story began, as many tennis-related ones do, with a racket.Norma grew up with her parents and three siblings, she being the oldest.“Mum used to play, dad used to play and I think we just followed them. I’ve held a tennis racket in my hand as far as I can remember,” she says.Her sister and two brothers used to play tennis, too. “They didn’t play tennis as long as I did. They were all quite good players.”But Norma’s initial, perhaps unlikely, tennis partner was a church across the road in Berry. She’s careful to stress that she “used to hit against, not the church hall, but the church wall.” Then, she moved on to playing in the street and with this being during World War II, there were no cars around.The children drew a tennis court using chalk, which “helped you with your consistency because you didn’t hit the ball hard like the kids these days. Because otherwise, you’d have to chase the ball,” Norma says.The art of consistencyThose early hits in the street, and the practice she gained hitting the ball on the line, came to serve her well as she began playing competitively, becoming a full-fledged baseline player.“I loved to stay back and play consistently,” Norma recalls. She would wear her opponents out by repeatedly hitting the ball back.“They used to say ‘oh,’ when they’d see me - ‘Oh, there’s the brick wall,’ she says. Norma would play competitions in both Kiama and Wollongong. Plus night competitions.She remembers playing at one o’clock in the morning. “These times, they got a finishing time. We used to play until it was finished,” she explains. All the sets? “Yes. Oh, dear.”SocialsBack in the day, when the tennis courts called Hindmarsh Park their home, there would be social tennis on Sunday afternoon and it was packed.“If you wanted to get on (we had four tennis courts) and have two or three sets in the afternoon, you’d be there at 12 o’clock,” Norma explains.People had to wait their turn and naturally, players would have a chat before or after matches.“Yeah, I used to enjoy it. You’d sit down, talk in between and always have afternoon tea. Nowadays, they just go on the court and play tennis, they don’t do any socials,” she notes sadly.Tuesday groupBut Norma, true to form, has never stopped doing socials. She still gets together every week with her Tuesday group, which started down in Hindmarsh some forty or fifty years ago.“We gradually all got older. Then it got too hot in the morning so we decided to make it evening time. Then, we stay and have chicken and chips,” she says.Just the other night, she had 14 people here at the club, out of whom four or five played tennis.About turning 99In July, she celebrated her 99th birthday with the members of the Tuesday group. And “had a little family get together. Went down to the bowling club for lunch,” she says.How does it feel to be 99? “I’m doing all right,” Stead replies. She admits though, twinkle in her eye, having slept in a bit this morning, until quarter to nine. Congratulations again Norma, you deserve all the sleep-ins that you’d like and more.On court achievements – Kiama & Shellharbour District Tennis Association Championships1953: B Grade Ladies Single Champion1954: AR Ladies Singles Champion1960: AR Ladies Doubles Champion with Beattie Long1963: AR Mixed Doubles Champion with Kevin Barr1964: AR Ladies Singles and AR Ladies Doubles Champion with Noelene Hurditch1965: AR Ladies Doubles with Noelene Hurditch, defeating Bernice Evans and Bev Taunton1967: AR Ladies Doubles with Bernice Evans1969: AR Ladies Doubles with Bernice EvansOff court achievements and awards 1968: Life membership, Kiama Tennis Club1969: Life membership, Kiama & Shellharbour District Tennis Association1982: “Member of the Year,” Kiama & Shellharbour District Tennis Association2000: Australian Sports Medal2001: The Stead family’s contribution to Kiama tennis was publicly recognised at a naming ceremony at the Kiama Tennis Club, which was named the Stead Reserve.2009: NSW Sports Federation Distinguished Long Service Award.2011: Tennis NSW Volunteer of the Year2021: Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to tennis

Kiama Golf Club golfers Dylan McDonald, Wil Daibarra and Chase Boreland will take part in the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship at Tura Beach Country Club next week.The trainee golfers, who all grew up in Kiama and work in the club’s pro shop, will travel to Merimbula on Sunday 25 August to compete in the four-day tournament from August 27-30. A $50,000 prize purse is up for grabs for the first time in the event, run by PGA Australia.Merimbula’s Tura Beach Country Club, an 18-hole championship course, has tournament hosting rights for the next three years.It will be McDonald’s first time playing in the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship as a first-year trainee. Third-year PGA associate Daibarra finished 14th in last year’s event, while Boreland, who’s in his second-year of his traineeship, finished 40th. All three golfers are aiming to be in the top 50 on the leaderboard after two rounds to ensure they make the cut to play in the final days of the event. More than 140 amateur golfers will compete in the Blue Ribbon championship, one of 30 competitions the golfers are required to play over the course of their traineeship.At the end of their three-year traineeship the golfers can join the Australasian PGA Tour if selected and play in professional tournaments.“Hopefully over the next few years I’ll get good enough to give playing (on the Australasian PGA Tour) a go,” says 29-year-old McDonald. “I started playing golf pretty late in life, when I was 20. I didn't play any junior golf but I worked in the pro shop and was a bit of a golf nut, so getting a job in the industry is perfect for me.” Daibarra started his golfing journey as a 13-year-old junior and the 21-year old is in the final year of his traineeship. He plans to join the PGA’s Qualifying School next year to shoot for a spot on the Australasian Tour. “I’ve set myself a goal to make the tour in three to five years,” says Daibarra, who teaches golf lessons when he’s not working in the pro shop or out on the course perfecting his game.The golfers are selling raffle tickets to help fund their travel and accommodation to the week-long event. Tickets are $5 and are available form the Kiama Golf Club pro shop. Three lucky winners will receive a golf lesson with Wil, Chase and Dylan once they return from the tournament.

KIAMA POWER AFLUNDER 15 BOYS COMPETITIONQUALIFYING FINALKIAMA POWER 98 d FIGTREE 21

KIAMA MEN'S HOCKEY4TH GRADE COMPETITIONKIAMA 1 drew with FAIRY MEADOW 1

KIAMA POWER AFLUNDER 13 MIXED COMPETITIONELIMINATION FINALFIGTREE KANGAROOS 21 d KIAMA POWER 14

KIAMA JUNIOR AFLUNDER 15 GIRLS COMPETITIONELIMINATION FINALWOLLONGONG LIONS 21 d KIAMA POWER 18

KIAMA POWER JUNIOR AFLQUALIFYING SEMI-FINALKIAMA POWER 66 d SHELLHARBOUR SUNS 0

KIAMA HOCKEY CLUB3RD GRADE WOMEN'S COMPETITIONSAINTS 1 d KIAMA 0

KIAMA HOCKEY CLUB 4TH GRADE WOMEN'S COMPETITIONKIAMA 0 drew with SAINTS 0

Thirteen years after winning her first US Open of Surfing, Sally Fitzgibbons returned to California’s iconic Huntington Beach and did it again. “For the final, I closed my eyes and pictured an empty beach in Gerroa. It brought me calm,” she says.Three good thingsSuper excited over her incredible win on 11 August, Fitzgibbons has just landed on Australian soil after what she describes as “a wild week.” Because not only did she win the US Open of Surfing title, she was also voted on the Australian Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission (on the exact same day) and later, inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame.“It’s a unique sport in that you train so hard and you put it all into every performance. You don’t know how willing the waves are to come your way, and you have to be accepting of that,” Fitzgibbons says.She goes on to explain that when the waves don’t hold the power, it becomes technically much harder because you have to produce everything yourself. But boy, did the 33-year-old Gerroa surfer deliver the goods in the US Open of Surfing final, beating 17-year-old Bella Kenworthy of San Clemente, 12.06 - 11.96.“At this point in my career, I’m really appreciative. My mum and dad were there. The anchor to all of my performance has always been coming home,” she says.Sally Fitzgibbons inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame. Courtesy: World Surf League (WSL).Almost feels like yesterdayFitzgibbons’ first US Open title came in 2011 at the age of 20.“It’s interesting,” she reflects. “You don’t realise how quickly time passes. You feel like you’ve done it for a minute.“I still felt like the 14-year-old paddling out.”It was at that very age that Fitzgibbons won the ASP Pro Junior Open, emerging as one of Australia’s best female surfers. Since 2009, she has been on the World Surf League’s (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), finishing 12 times in the world’s top eight, which includes three No. 2 finishes and three No. 3 finishes. A new generation of female surfersAnyone who has been following the local surfing scene, knows that the South Coast is brimming with young, talented female surfers.It's vastly different from when Fitzgibbons grew up, she’d go and surf with a friend here and there but mostly she hung and surfed with the boys.“Now, it’s so cool. Hundreds of girls picking up their boards and heading out surfing with their friends. Feeling so welcomed,” she says.Many of them are dreaming of following in Fitzgibbons’ footsteps.Her advice to them? “Always come back to the joy of surfing, even in competition. See the ocean as your best friend and remember that love of surfing,” she says.Ripping it up. Courtesy: World Surf League (WSL).The spot for Olympic surfingHuntington Beach is being floated as the potential site for competitions, when surfing’s back on the Olympic program for the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028.Fitzgibbons calls it “the ultimate arena for surfing.”“It has this long pier. You would have a stadium on the pier and on the beach, so you would be surrounded by the crowd,” she says.“Huntington Beach is Surf City USA, it can’t get it more iconic. I can’t wait and see what happens. I think Australia would do well, we have such depth. See if I can throw my hat in there as well.”Home sweet GerroaBut for now, she’s going back home to Gerroa, which she says has provided the anchor to all of her performances.“It’s why I still base myself here. I fly back as often as I can. One day back in Gerroa and I reset myself. I’m more comfortable here where all you can hear is the ocean. It’s the heart of everything that I do.” Fitzgibbons wants to extend a big thank you to “our Gerroa community.” She says that the energy towards her has never wavered. Whether it’s been a good or bad day, she’s always felt supported, “It has allowed me to do what I really love."

KIAMA JUNIOR KNIGHTSUNDER 16-1 COMPETITIONMAJOR SEMI-FINALKIAMA 28 d WESTS 22

KIAMA JUNIOR KNIGHTS 15-2 COMPETITIONMINOR SEMI-FINALMILTON-ULLADULLA 22 d KIAMA KNIGHTS 10

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLJUNIOR C COMPETITIONGERRINGONG 10 - 5 d BEACHETTES 14 - 5

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLJUNIOR C COMPETITIONBERRY 7 -12 d CENTRAL 14 - 6

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLUNDER 10 COMPETITIONCENTRAL 15 - 9 d BERRY 8 - 2

KIAMA JUNIOR NETBALLUNDER 10 COMPETITIONGAINSBOROUGH 5 - 11 d GERRINGONG 11 - 4

On the loveliest of August Saturdays, the Kiama RUFC hosted Ladies Day in celebration of all the wonderful women within the club. The players’ partners, wives, girlfriends and mums gathered for the popular annual event, which featured food, drinks, music, dancing and – of course, rugby. The upper floor of the club had been transformed for the occasion with a delicious buffet, red roses and candles on tables, and pink ribbons tied around the lucky draw prizes.Jenny Hart and Linda Smith during Ladies Day at the Kiama Rugby Union Football Club.Linda Smith organised this, and last year’s, event. “I’ve had a lot of help. We all pitch in,” she says. For today’s event (10 August), nearly 40 people are confirmed but usually a couple of extras show up too, Smith says.On the club’s balcony, overlooking the Kiama Showgrounds, stand Renae Sukavakarua and Sophia Dylan. Dylan’s daughter Philippa sits in her stroller. Renae Sukavakarua, Sophia Dylan, Dylan's daughter Phillipa on the balcony of the Kiama Rugby Club during Ladies Day.With their husbands playing for the club, Sukavakarua has been to several Ladies Day and for Dylan, it’s her second time. Both agree that it’s nice to be spoiled.“This event makes us feel appreciated,” says Sukavakarua. “We do the hard work, such as care for the kids,” adds Dylan with a big smile.

Registrations for the 2024 Kiama Social Netball Competition has surpassed founder Natalie Allan’s expectations with 135 kids already pre-registered.The competition is in its third year running, and initially Allan started it as a way for junior netballers to continue developing and having fun with the sport into summer.“This is our third year running and the reason I started it is that when kids play winter netball they’ve just gotten into their groove and started to understand the rules, and play, and then it’s over. Plus, there was no local competition available for summer for anyone under 16 and we had kids going to Shellharbour to play. So, I thought why we couldn’t do something locally?” Says Allan.The competition has only grown since then and the 2024 competition promises to be the biggest yet as they’ve moved it to the outside Kiama netball courts and added a training option coached by Allan’s daughter, Molly Allan, who recently completed her development coach accreditation."This year we’ve gone outside because there was a lot of interest, and we were capped because of Kiama Leisure Centre’s availability. We’re currently up to 135 kids pre-registered and we’re almost full,” says Allan.“Based on the feedback from the last few years, my daughter Molly Allan will be running group session training. Instead of playing in a team and playing a social game participants will play two 10-minute quarters of skills run by Molly who is a development level coach.”But Allan identifies that the main reason the competition is so successful is because of its social aspect. The games have no scoring, no coaches, no uniforms and kids are encouraged to swap positions each quarter and this all creates a fun atmosphere for kids who may find the pressure of competitive netball too much.“What people said was the best thing about the competition was the social aspect. It’s all about having fun and getting new people in and it works really well for kids who are neurodivergent or anxious because it just takes the pressure off,” says Allan.Kiama netball is extremely successful for their size with the U13’s representative team winning at the NSW champions and the U12’s team getting runners up. “I think we’ve always been a strong netball association, but certainly the idea of the social competition is to encourage kids to come to the game. Kids have so many options these days like soccer and league tag and AFL. We wanted to bring a bit more fun to netball and encourage new players to come in,” says Allan.The Kiama Netball Social Competition has its first round on October 14 and there are still some spots available. You can register via the Kiama Netball Social Competition Facebook page or through contacting Allan herself (her contact details are available on the Facebook page). The Competition is also looking for a sponsor, so if you’re a local business looking to support a community organisation, get in contact with Allan as well.

This past weekend, Kiama Rugby headed to Wollongong to play the Vikings in their last round. What a way to finish the regular season, with both the first grade and the second grade winning their respective games, which means the team is onto the finals.The Cows have indeed been laying the groundwork to finish second, first and second grade, on the Illawarra District Rugby Union 2024 Senior Ladder.On 10 August, Kiama Rugby hosted Camden for their last two home games at the Showground. First grade dominated their encounter while the second grade clash turned out to be quite the thriller. Adding to the overall excitement was Kiama RUFC’s vice president Chris Meizer marking a major milestone, by playing his 250th game for the club. The guests received a warm and sunny welcome but when it came down to the play, first and second grade won.“It was probably the most complete game we’ve played all year,” says coach James Patrick.The first grade had hardly run out on the field before they scored their first try. And after that, there was no looking back. After several tries in Kiama’s favourite corner and a couple of magnificent conversions, the team led Camden 47-0 at half time.“It felt good. Our guys play well as a unit,” Patrick continues.The second half treated the boisterous home crowd to some nice passing and indeed, more great tries. Add Matt Forsyth’s 10 conversions overall, and the final score came to Kiama 87 - Camden 17.A slight breeze, hinting at spring, swept the grounds before the second grade came out, led by Chris Meizer for his incredible 250th game.Camden’s Lachlan Stanley scored an excellent penalty goal to start things off.But Kiama, with a great line-up, kept pushing forward, holding onto a 15-10 lead at half time.The game came down to the wire. Jasper Scobie sprinted down the sideline to make a spectacular try, which caused the whole ground to erupt in cheers and a standing ovation. With the scoreboard showing Kiama 27 - Camden 23, it became the finish of the season.“I love watching that kid play. He’s pretty small and skinny. But he’s a good player,” says coach Patrick.“I am enjoying all of our young players playing. I think we’re finally clicking and understanding what we’re supposed to do out there.”On Saturday, 24 August, Kiama will be playing at Shoalhaven Rugby Park for a spot in the grand final: First grade vs. Shoalhaven at 3 pm, and second grade vs. Bowral at 1:30 pm.