Our own Simon Small and Luke Rogers were two of the three finalists for Male Sailor of the Year, with Simon taking home Australian Sailing’s ‘Wyuna Trophy’ for the award. Introduced in 1996, this trophy recognises senior competitors who have excelled at National and International standard and from 2004 it has also recognised the Male Sailor of the Year. Success was even sweeter in the contention for Team of the Year, with RQYS providing all three finalists (!), so for Luke and Lucas to carry the day in the face of such stiff competition as Tony and Andrew — not to mention Matt and his well-honed crew aboard “Trouble & Strife” — is a fine accomplishment indeed. It’s been back-to-back wins for the Squadron in two other categories, with ‘Rafa’ following Adrian Finglas as Coach of the Year, and Austin Sims (‘Robin’ to Mark Dingley’s ‘Batman’) succeeding his boss as Sport Professional of the Year. Perhaps the highlight of the night, though, was our RQYS Volunteer par excellence Noel Paterson being deservedly recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The success achieved at the awards is a reflection of the passion and commitment of everyone involved with RQYS Sailing, and testament to the hard work and dedication of our Volunteers, Members and support teams. Congratulations to all our finalists and winners! n It was a great night for the Squadron at Australian Sailing’s 2024 Queensland Awards, announced at a gala event on Friday 26 September at Southport Yacht Club. Squadron shines at Southport gala With no fewer than 14 finalists across 12 categories, RQYS was always going to be unbeatable for Team of the Year! Australian Sailing QUEENSLAND AWARDS 2024 Male Sailor of the Year • Winner Simon Small Finalist Male Sailor of the Year Luke Rogers Team of the Year • Winner Lucas Patrick & Luke Rogers Finalists Team of the Year Tony Craner & Andrew Tunball-Miller Matt Williams & ‘Trouble & Strife’ crew Coach of the Year • Winner Rafael Trujillo Sport Professional of the Year • Winner Austin Sims Lifetime Achievement Award • Winner Noel Paterson Finalist Female Sailor of the Year Mara Stransky Finalist Youth Sailor of the Year Caterina Meyer Finalist Official of the Year Louise Davis Finalist Instructor of the Year Libby Kirby Finalist Sport Promotion Mike Middleton Finalist Club of the Year RQYS Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron Yearbook Mainsheet 2024 9 Australian Sailing Awards • 2024
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