The North Queensland Sports Foundation is on a understandable high as it was anointed a national winner at the AUSPORT AWARDS on March 11 at the Moonee Valley Racing Club in Melbourne.
The AUSPORT AWARDS are an initiative of the Australian Sports Commission to “recognise, reward and showcase good practice in the Australian sports system”
The North Queensland Sports Foundation, (the only finalist from Queensland in the variety of Awards), won the category of Rural and Regional Award. This was as a result of the coordination of the North Queensland Sports Education Tours.
Chair of the Foundation, Cr Margaret Cochrane was in Melbourne to receive the Award, before flying back to attend the Foundation’s own Suncorp North Queensland Sportstar Awards on the same day in Charters Towers.
She described the winning of the Award as a “deserved recognition for the work that the North Queensland Sports Foundation conducts throughout North Queensland”. She proudly showed the trophy at the Awards night in Charters Towers, to huge acclaim from the large crowd.
An estimated 7.000 schoolchildren from over 80 schools participated in the unique sporting experience in 2005, in a total of six tours. This year the Foundation has expanded the tours to a total of seven over ten weeks, due to significant funding from the Queensland Government. The member Councils of the Foundation also contribute towards the Tours, with participating sports providing their Development Officers. In an innovative development in 2006, sports science students from James Cook University will also be included in the Tours, which will have obvious benefits for the Tours and the students themselves.
In 2005, the North Queensland Sports Foundation employed a coordinator, and a variety of sports were offered to the participants throughout a total of twenty nine Council regions in North Queensland. Some of the sports that were included in the 2005 Tours were gymnastics, football (soccer), rugby league (through the North Queensland Cowboys) Royal Life Saving, AFL and basketball. The Queensland Olympic Council also supported the Tours by supporting Olympians such as swimmer Julie McDonald to provide positive information relating to fitness and healthy lifestyle.
For further information: Phone Stuart Gibson (Manager) on 0419 681 053
