A GOLFER and a young triathlete in the making were the shire’s two top sportspeople of the last 12 months.
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Garry Nolan took out the top honour of Sportsperson of the Year on Saturday during the shire’s Australia Day celebrations for his many efforts on the golf course over the last 12 months and previous years before that.
Up and comer Max Norman won the junior title after a big year on the triathlon circuit.
Speaking at the Australia Day awards ceremony, Nolan thanked those behind his nomination.
“It’s nice to be recognised for your achievements and I thank them very much,” he said.
“I congratulate (fellow nominees) Kaitlyn McKay and Amie Fazekas on their nomination and I hope they have another successful year without injury.”
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As well as his achievements at a local level, Nolan’s 2018 was capped off with success when he finished runner up in the National Left-Handed Golf Championship held in Adelaide in October.
His nomination for the awards came as a surprise.
“Two days ago I received a photocopied letter … advising me I had been nominated for this award,” Nolan said.
He joked the proper research and effort had not gone into his nomination, believing there were other deserving winners.
“If this were the case, I do not think an old, broken down golfer would have been this year winner,” he laughed.
While Max was unable to attend this year’s awards, his achievements were detailed to the crowd. Last year was a big year for the St Francis College student.
After a lengthy process, he was selected to be part of the 2018 World Triathlon Championships on the Gold Coast.
To qualify, Max competed at several races throughout the country, as well as several qualification events where he had to finish with a top three placing.
A member of the Leeton Tri-Club, Max represented his country to his full ability at the event and hopes to continue building on his success in the coming years.
Other nominees in the junior section this year were Coopa Steele, Makayla Jones, James Rourke and Josh Baulch.
The awards have been part of the official Australia Day ceremony for many years now, with Sportsperson of the Year committee president Peter Slattery on hand to help present Nolan with the honour on Saturday.
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