Published 20 May 2024
The Bunbury Geographe Sports Awards winners were announced during a formal ceremony on Friday, 10 May at Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre.
Hosted by Bunbury Mayor Jaysen Miguel the annual awards recognised athletes, officials, volunteers and sporting events from across the Bunbury Geographe region.
The renowned Myles Junior Sports Star and AJ (Tood) Buswell South Western Times Sports Star of the year awards were also announced at the ceremony.
Taking out the Myles Junior Sports Star of the Year Award this year was Jay Pfoeffer. Jay is a member of both the Australind Swimming Club and Leschenault Cricket Club.
Jay dominated in the pool, winning 10 gold medals at the Swimming WA Country Championships, seven
gold medals at the WA State Swimming Championships, and six medals — three silver and three bronze
— at the School Sports National Swimming Championships. The talented dual-sport athlete also
excelled on the cricket pitch, taking 10 wickets at an average of 11.6 for WA at the under-12s National
Championships in Darwin, including a hat-trick.
The Para-Athlete of the Year Award was awarded to swimmer Miranda Kiewiet of the Australind Swimming Club.
Miranda produced a series of strong results in multi-class events at both the Swimming WA Country
Championships — winning seven gold medals — and the Swimming WA State Championships in which
she won a gold medal and four silvers. She was often one of the younger competitors in the races, aged
only 13 while coming up against swimmers as old as 17
Taarna Cam also of the Australind Swimming Club was named Coach of the Year.
Taarna has overseen a huge uptick in fortunes since taking over the club’s head coaching role in 2021,
helping it win the award for the top regional club at the Swimming WA State Championships. She also
contributes to the development of other coaches in the region by running Swimming WA coach
development workshops.
The 2024 Official of the Year Award was given to Tammie Reid of the Bunbury Water Polo Association.
A former player and president who maintains her commitment to the club, Tammie now spends her
time working as an official. She spends plenty of time mentoring up-and-coming referees to ensure the
region has access to high-quality officials.
City of Bunbury Surf Life Saving Club Surf Sports Team was announced as the Team of the Year.
The Bunbury club won the titles of Surf Life Saving WA’s State country champions and State handicap
champions after a standout showing at the State Country Championships. Competitors are also
required to complete volunteer patrol duties to participate in competitions, ensuring the club maintains
a commitment to the community.
The Volunteer Service to Sport Award was won by Bunbury Water Polo Association’s David O’Connor.
A former player at the international level, David has continued to serve the sport as a committee
member at the association for more than 20 years. He referees at club, regional and State levels while
working as the association’s fixture co-ordinator and tournament director.
This year’s Event of the Year Award was received by Bunbury United Soccer Club for the Bunbury Junior Soccer Carnival.
One of Australia’s largest junior soccer tournaments featured 101 teams playing on 18 pitches at Hay
Park across two days of action. More than 50 volunteers from the community helped run the event,
alongside about 40 referees.