On an extremely windy Saturday at Kevin Walsh Oval, Jamberoo Superoos legend Jono Dallas ran out for the 350th time in the team’s red and green colours.Playing in the number seven jersey on July 20, Dallas steered his team in a closely contested loss against the second placed Gerringong Lions. Even though he was proud to reach such an impressive milestone, Dallas never even expected to play at all in 2024.“I had nothing to do with the preparations for this year, I pulled myself away from it because I didn’t want that temptation. I was even training to play rugby union … and then a week before round one I got a call from the coach and he said, Look we’ve lost a lot of players and we’ve got a good group of kids that are keen but have no experience in their spine,” says Dallas.“There was never an expectation that we were going to win a lot of games, but I didn’t want to see them getting beat by 50 and 60. So the selling point was just to come back, bring a little bit of experience and make sure that the boys can compete,” says Dallas.The 2024 Group 7 season marks Dallas’ 18th season playing grade for Jamberoo and as he reminisces on his career he says that after he had finally won a premiership with the club in 2017 he oddly began playing the best rugby league in his life.“I was so committed to winning a first grade comp with them (Jamberoo). So up until 2017 I was so desperate to win that footy took up all of my time. And once I got past that I really let myself enjoy it a bit more so the five to six years after that were really the best where I was genuinely just playing footy with my friends,” says Dallas.Dallas is adamant that, more than his dedication to win and the love of the game and Jamberoo, his main driving force in coming back year after year is getting to play with his mates. And he says he’s very lucky that he got to play so many years in a row with a similar group of players that are now his friends for life.“Some of my best mates I've met because of footy,” says Dallas. “I was a groomsman at a bloke’s wedding that I wouldn’t have met if I didn’t bring him to Jamberoo. My wife met her best friends because they’re dating guys I've brought to the club. And yeah there’s money and you want to win comps, but really it's just playing with your mates. And it's made me realise how impactful being in a really good footy club can be.” Dallas had only missed one game for Jamberoo in the 17 seasons before this one, and he says that he would always play even if he wasn’t 100% fit because he humbly believes that his additions to the team were, a lot of the time, about how he led and managed the team throughout the match.“I never thought of myself as a gun really, I’ve always thought of myself as a manager of footy. So, I could play in a dinner suit when I was injured. And I always just wanted to be reliable when I signed up to play footy, so I’d always show up even if I wasn’t 100%,” says Dallas.Although the Superoos have only managed to win one game this season, they have rarely lost by more than 12 points which is very impressive for such a young squad. Captain Nathan Gallastegui says it's Dallas’ management qualities that have made them so competitive this year.“In all honesty having his leadership and experience back this year has been a blessing, I have a ton of respect for the man he is and what he does for the club, on top of the love I have for him,” says Gallastegui.“I think with his big ears, he heard we needed him back and he came running in, like a knight in shining armour,” jokes Gallastegui.On the day of his 350th game Dallas was also given a life membership to the Jamberoo club, becoming the youngest player to do so.

KIAMA POWER JUNIOR AFLUNDER 15 GIRLS COMPETITIONSHELLHARBOUR SWANS 37 d KIAMA POWER 20

KIAMA POWER JUNIOR AFLUNDER 13 MIXED COMPETITIONSHELLHARBOUR SWANS 22 d KIAMA POWER 16

KIAMA POWER JUNIOR AFLUNDER 13 GIRLS COMPETITIONKIAMA POWER 52 d DEVELOPMENT SQUAD 1 - 21

KIAMA POWER JUNIOR AFLUNDER 11 MIXED COMPETITIONKIAMA POWER 28 d SHELLHARBOUR SWANS 25

KIAMA POWER JUNIOR AFLUNDER 11 GIRLS COMPETITIONKIAMA POWER 72 d SHELLHARBOUR SWANS 43

KIAMA POWER JUNIOR AFLUNDER 9 MIXED COMPETITIONSHELHARBOUR SWANS 69 d KIAMA POWER 37

KIAMA JUNIOR KNIGHTSBT UNDER 11 COMPETITIONAPOF 28 d KIAMA BLACK 23

KIAMA JUNIOR KNIGHTSBT UNDER 10 COMPETITIONKIAMA KNIGHTS WHITE 34 d BOMADERRY 14

KIAMA JUNIOR KNIGHTSBT UNDER 10 GIRLSKNIGHTS BLACK 32 d STINGRAYS 24

KIAMA JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUBUNDER 9 MIXED COMPETITIONKIAMA COMETS BLUE 3 d GERRINGONG BREAKERS RED 0

KIAMA JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUBUNDER 9 MIXED COMPETITIONALBION PARK RED 3 d KIAMA COMETS GOLD 0

KIAMA JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUBUNDER 8 COMPETITIONKIAMA COMETS - 8 GREEN 3 d KIAMA COMETS - 8 YELLOW 0

“I think the world we live in can be harsh. It really drives people into working and earning and getting into a place where they don't feel satisfied. Surfing and riding waves and being in the environment and exploring the beautiful coastlines, there's a freedom there and a true beauty and I think that's very alluring and it's deeply fulfilling for us as human beings,” says Jolyon Hoff, director of the film You Should Have Been Here Yesterday.Watching You Should Have Been Here Yesterday is like a rhythmic and nostalgic daydream. It immerses you in a time of blossoming surf culture with its excitingly creative surfers, its innovative board designs and its free spirit.The film doesn’t have a main character. Instead it uses Australian surfing culture as a character, tracking its rise and fall throughout the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. It uses restored footage of old surf films, which were filmed with 16mm cameras, and interviews with various people including surfing filmmaker Alby Falzon and writer Tim Winton.“I wanted people to think more broadly about the culture of surfing and the culture of the era and what was going on. Films, especially surf films and adventure films will hook onto a character and follow a very tried and tested arc of the hero's journey or an adventure to go and conquer a wave. So it was a conscious choice to make a film like this because I wanted people to bring their own thoughts to it,” says Hoff.The restored film is gloriously rendered on screen, especially the various shades of blue in the crashing waves, you never would have thought so many blues existed. The footage also embraces all of the small imperfections of the old film reels such as light leaks and scratches and this contributes to the nostalgic feeling of it all.“We scanned about 150 hours of lost Australian surf film footage and it’s been scanned at archive quality by Kade Bucheli, who spent 14 months on it, and also overseen by Billy Wychgel, who was the colour grader for Lord of the Rings,” reveals Hoff.The film makes you yearn for a period that has been and gone, but it doesn’t fall into the familiar mistakes of these types of films where they only focus on the good parts of the time period.“In this film I wanted to engage with that time period honestly and deal with what happened when drugs were introduced and also the problem of women being ostracised from surfing. They were two elements of surfing that I was pleased to bring up in the film,” says Hoff.Ultimately Hoff says he wants people watching the film to fall in love with surfing all over again and bring that into the present because he believes surfing culture has never been better.“There’s all different types of surfing like competitive surfing, longboard surfing, old people surfing, kids surfing, bodyboarding, kneeboarding. Everything is surfing and is part of that community so the title is a bit of a misnomer because it's not ‘You should have been here yesterday’, it's ‘You should be here right now.’ You should be enjoying and being present in this moment and what is going on in surfing now,” says Hoff.You Should Have Been Here Yesterday is playing as part of the Travelling Sydney Film Festival at the Warrawong Gala Cinema on Sunday July 28. It is truly an immersive and mesmerising depiction of a time in Australian history that doesn’t seem to be talked about enough.Jolyon called in for his interview with The Bugle from Indonesia where he is working on a documentary film about refugees who have been stuck there since the Australian Government stopped the boats.

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: @sarah_carliBlakers 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.