Flicking through old editions of the Ensign, you can find numerous winners scattered throughout the sports pages.
First introduced by the Ensign in 1990, the awards were presented in an entirely different format to what you will see in our 2020 awards. But its meaning continues to remain the same; recognising and honouring our community's best and brightest sporting figures, from athletes to volunteers.
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In 1990, nominations were submitted by the public before a monthly award winner was selected for January through to December. Then, our 12 finalists would vie for the overall title of Sports Star of the Year, usually presented at a gala in March or April the following year.
The very first Sports Star of the Year winner was Allan Andrews, who took out the honour after claiming two gold medals at the World Firefighters Games in New Zealand.
Other past winners include badminton player, Mark Nichols, archer Matthew Gray and triathlete Dale Woonton, while Baden Cooke, Tom Rockliff, John Martiniello, Andrew Gibson, Wayne Nichols and Susan Batey are just some of the names also recognised as monthly award winners throughout the years.
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