The annual UWA Blues Awards, held on Thursday 14 November at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, recognised the achievements of the 2024 recipients and welcomed them to the prestigious Blues family.
The evening, presented by 2021 UWA Athletics Half Blue recipient Michael Christie, was attended by a variety of members of the UWA Sport community. Special guests included Chair of the UWA Sports Advisory Council John Inverarity, Director of Student Accommodation and Community Ian Fitzpatrick and UWA Sports Council President Taneesha Stallbaum. Blues have a long-standing history at UWA, with Full Blues and Half Blues awarded by UWA Sports Council to student athletes since 1921. These awards are considered to be the highest possible honour a student athlete can achieve during their time at university. The awards not only acknowledge excellence in sport, but also the athletes’ contributions to their respective UWA Affiliated Sports Clubs.
The Blues event is a way to honour our past and present Blues and to nurture these relationships. An outstanding 15 athletes were recognised and welcomed in the Blues coterie.
The event honoured the high-achieving athletes that have made contributions to both the University and the wider sporting community, highlighted by a panel discussion featuring Rhiannon Clarke, Alexandra Griffin and Niamh Mac Alistair. The all-female UWA Athletics Club cast shared their insights on balancing student life whilst competing at an elite level and impact of creating a legacy in sport.
The proceedings concluded with the presentation of the 2024 Blues recipients by UWA Sports Council President, Taneesha Stallbaum. Congratulations to the following UWA Blues recipients on achieving this prestigious accolade.
2024 Half Blue Recipients:
Cameron Garside (UWA Athletics Club)
William McAlinden (UWA Athletics Club)
Connor Brace (UWA Boat Club)
Ethan Bromley (UWA Boat Club)
Oliver Cliff (UWA Boat Club)
Kayla Kalweit (UWA Boat Club)
Matthew O’Keefe (UWA Cricket Club)
Joshua Vernon (UWA Cricket Club)
Saysha Pillay (UWA Hockey Club)
Joshua Shipton (UWA Judo Club)
Oliver Terry (UWA Triathlon Club)
Benjamin Deacon (UWA Ultimate Club)
Shevanka Dias Abeyagunawardene (UWA Ultimate Club)
2024 Full Blue Recipients:
Olivia Dodds (UWA Athletics Club)
Keishin Ochi (UWA Judo Club)
UWA Sport is committed to maintaining contact with sport alumni and those that have made university sport a success, and we hope that the 2024 Blues recipients will continue their connection to the University for many years to come.