16 Gympie and Fraser Coast athletes receiving competition grants

Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien has congratulated 16 sports stars across the region who have secured government grants to pursue their sporting careers. Read the names:

Athletes across the Fraser Coast and Gympie region have received grants to help pursue their sporting dreams.

Rising sport stars across Wide Bay are on their way to state and national competitions, after being chosen to receive Federal Government grants through the Local Sporting Champions and Local Para Champions programs.

These athletes will receive between $500 and $700 to ease the pressure on their families from the costs of travel, equipment, uniforms and accommodation for significant representative sporting events.

See Gympie’s 31 young rising stars of rugby league.

Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien congratulated the young athletes on Tuesday.

“I congratulate these young athletes on their success in the latest round of the Local Sporting Champions and the Local Para Champions program,” he said.

“Wide Bay has a strong track record in producing skilled and successful sport champions, and these sporting champions deserve to be congratulated and encouraged on their sporting journey.”

Athletes across Gympie and Fraser Coast receiving grants:

(File photo of Ava O’Connell when she competed in the Under 8 Granville versus Sunbury game.)

Ava O‘Connell– Tinana

Sport: Football (Soccer)

Competition: 13/15yrs Girls Football State Championship

A file photo of Hamish Abberfield playing hockey at an earlier age, in 2019.

Hamish Abberfield – Araluen (Gympie)

Sport: Hockey

Competition: U13 boys State Hockey Championships

Jack Baumgart in action at the Qld Touch Junior State Cup for the U/14 Boys Gympie v Gayndah.

Jack Baumgart– Gympie 

Sport: Touch Football

Competition: 2022 State Championships

(File photo) Maryborough junior hockey – U/11 Granville vs United – Kyra Crick.

Kyra Crick - Maryborough

Sport: Hockey

Competition: 13-19 Years Queensland Secondary Hockey Championship

Madison Pomerenke at the Queensland Country Rugby Union Championships. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Madison Pomerenke– Tandur (Gympie)

Sport: Rugby Union

Competition: Australian Schools Rugby Union Championships Girls Schools National 7s

Fraser Coast League Women's Hockey – Meka Crick.

Meka Crick– Maryborough

Sport: Hockey

Competition: 13-19yrs Qld Schoolgirls Championships

Under 13 State hockey championships. Townsville’s Jack English and Fraser Coast's Percy Schulz. Picture: Evan Morgan

Percy Schulz– Granville

Sport: Hockey

Competition: Queensland State Schools Primary Hockey Championship 10 to 12 Years

Ruby Rossiter – Teddington

Sport: Rugby League

Competition: Rugby League State Championships

Xavier Villani– Magnolia

Sport: Swimming

Competition: National Age Championships

Mitch Krafft– Calico Creek

Sport: Softball

Competition: National Secondary School Softball Championships

Mason Marles – Yengarie

Sport: Tenpin Bowling

Competition: 2022 President Shield National Junior Cup

Jaiya McHardy– Cooran

Sport: Sport Climbing

Competition: Sports Climbing Australia 2022 National Youth Championships

Cody Kendall– Gympie

Sport: Football

Competition: Special Olympics National Games

Jasmine Hunt– Canina

Sport: Athletics

Competition: Australian National Games Launceston 2022

Amelie Robinson - Lagoon Pocket

Sport: Basketball

Competition: QSS 16-18 Years Girls Basketball State Championships

See the latest in our Save Our Sports campaign.

“There were many applications for the Local Sporting Champions Program and only limited grants are available, but I am really impressed by the depth of talent, the level of commitment, and the ambition and pursuit of excellence that the applicants demonstrated,” Mr O’Brien said.

Applications for the grants can be made through the Australian Sports Commission’s website.