Wingecarribee snares silver at Elders Olympics
It was game on for the region’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders on 23 March as they went head to head for the inaugural Elders Olympics held at Wollondilly Leisure Centre in Picton.
The Wingecarribee and Camden combined team, valiantly led by Auntie Val Mulcahy and Team Manager Liz Taylor, put in a solid performance and dominated the point score right up until the last event.
While the Wingecarribee team didn’t manage to take home the gold, they proudly collected the silver medal, coming second to the talented Campbelltown Men’s Team. Third place was awarded to the combined Bankstown and Liverpool team.
Councillor Larry Whipper, Deputy Mayor of Wingecarribee Shire, joined the Mayor of Wollondilly Council to present the medals and awards on the day.
“Unfortunately we were pipped at the post,” Cr Whipper said. “But next year may be a different story, with the Wingecarribee elders proving a very real force to be reckoned with.”
The elder groups came from all over the region, with representatives from Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Bankstown, Liverpool, Camden and Campbelltown Local Government areas.
Approximately 100 people were in attendance on the day, which was put together by Macarthur Disability Services. The Australian National Anthem was sung in traditional language by children from John Warby Public School and the games included quoits, bean bag toss, tunnel ball, walking relay and Gorri.
The Wingecarribee team included Auntie Val Mulcahy, Auntie Annie Warren, Garry Russell, Chris Simpson, Bob Simpson, Adrian Schaffer and Liz Taylor.
It was a fantastic opportunity for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders to get together and the day was great fun, with plenty of smiles to go around.
Wingecarribee Shire Council would like to extend special thanks to:
Camden Council
Campbelltown Council
Liverpool City Council
Bankstown City Council
Wollondilly Shire Council
Macarthur Disability Service
NSW Department of Sport and Recreation
and all the participants who made the day such a success.