Youth recognised at Government House Young South Australians with impressive achievements in sport, the arts and higher education have been recognised at a formal award ceremony for the 2019 Governor’s Youth Awards The Awards were presented by the Governor of South Australia, His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC and Mrs Le at Government House on 28 May 2019. The Governor presented one award in each of three categories – Arts, Sport and Higher Education. Winners this year were: Sport – Tamsyn Murdoch, Higher Education – Arabella Hart, Arts – Nathan May. The Governor’s Aboriginal Youth Awards recognise young South Australians aged between 15 and 29 years, who are showing potential and determination to achieve success, or who are excelling in their chosen field. The inspiring award presentation was attended by Members of Parliament,
senior academics, current and former commissioners, Aboriginal elders, many community and family members and young people. Each winner in each category receives a certificate of recognition, a $3,000 bursary and the support of a mentor to assist in their career development. Tamsyn Murdoch is a young woman of Nyikina and Yawuru descendant, who gained recognition for her success in athletics’ multi-event discipline, heptathlon. In presenting her award, the Governor said that Tamsyn had shown the commitment and drive required to be successful at the highest sporting levels, as well as providing leadership and inspiration to other young Aboriginal people. Tamsyn told Aboriginal Way after the presentation that she was very pleased and surprised to be recognised at the Awards this year. “I’m just very shocked and overwhelmed, was not expecting it” she said.
Although only 16 and still at school, Tamsyn has been doing athletics for many years. “I’ve been in the sport of athletics for over ten years now. I started off doing athletics as individual events, so mostly long jump, hurdles, high jump. It wasn’t until I started finding coaching that I moved towards a heptathlon coach specialist. And he got me into the sport of heptathlon” she said. Heptathlon is a challenging sport that involves seven events over two days. On the first day there are four events: 100 metre hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 metres. Then the next day there are three events: long jump, javelin, and 800 metres. Not surprisingly, training for an event like this is quite intense, Tamsyn explained. “At the moment, I’m doing up to four to five days of training a week, on top of school and trying to fit in work. “One day includes roughly two and a half hours of training. There’s warmups,
This page, left to right from top: Tamsyn Murdoch with the Governor; All award winners and finalists with the Premier Steven Marshall, Governor and Mrs Le and Professor Irene Watson; Jack Bucksin welcomes all to country; The Governor with Nathan May; The Governor with Arabella Hart.
16 Aboriginal Way, Winter 2019
