Celebrating Our Volunteers

The Buroinjin Cup is a tournament between the residential colleges in the Aboriginal, Kabi Kabi sport of Buroinjin. Initially started by Trinity College with an invitation to other colleges to participate, Baxter was instrumental in developing the tournament into an Intercollegiate event.

Buroinjin contributes to social outcomes by fostering understanding, respect, and collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, it celebrates Indigenous sport and culture, and promotes awareness of the rich heritage and contributions of Indigenous communities.

After its implementation in 2023, participation doubled in 2024, and it has been included as one of the University's main National Reconciliation Week events.

The Club celebrated their First Nations Round in July by highlighting the significant contribution that First Nations people have made to the sport of Australian Rules.

The Club hosted an educational workshop about the history of Marn Grook (Indigenous Australian Football), and celebrated two of their Indigenous players, Talia Meier and Jasmine Glass, held a traditional smoking ceremony, procured the services of local indigenous caterer Mabu Mabu, and made donations from the event to non-profits Djirra and the Koori Heritage Trust.

Through the Club’s First Nations Education, Celebration and Action Plan, they remain committed to implementing deliverable actions and commitments specific to Reconciliation.

In only its second year as a Club, Triathlon has been innovative in their approach to engaging students and staff in the sport, by focusing their efforts on creating a team environment in what is very much an individual sport. With specialised coaching sessions for open-water swimming, social running and cycling events, and coordinated group engagement activities such as yoga, the Club has created a welcoming environment for all to be involved.

Each Semester culminated in a Mini-Triathlon event on campus with over 80 participants and 10 volunteers, many completing a Triathlon for the first time.

The Hockey Club receive this award for the development and design of the Club’s 2024-2028 Strategic Plan.

With a new vision, the Club are striving to be Australia's premier university hockey club in both high performance and development and are striving to be known across Victoria as the most welcoming and inclusive club, offering competitive, social, and engaging hockey experiences for players at all levels.

The Strategic Plan focuses on five strategic priorities of Hockey, Facilities, Leadership/Governance/Sustainability, Brand, and the University. In the latter, the Club have committed to raising greater awareness to students on campus and to the development of a new introductory hockey program to students.

The Club presented their Plan to the Melbourne University Sport Advisory Board in October who were all very impressed with the future direction of the Club.

The Mountaineering Club boosted trip participation in 2024 through a series of new initiatives to enhance their members’ experiences.

Leader training nights, subsidised first aid courses, training grants, and new deputy positions, empowered members to lead trips and upskill their peers.

New sports including bikepacking and backcountry skiing, diversified their activities and attracted new members, while social events like inter-club bouldering competitions, pub nights, and intro trips helped foster community.

Daisy is the President of the Intercollegiate Sports Council and when commencing in the role earlier in the year noticed that Netball was the only sport in the program without gender parity.

Daisy advocated for the implementation of Men's Netball by engaging with college representatives and collaborating with stakeholders to create a welcoming and equitable environment.

Daisy's leadership and advocacy helped transform perceptions and created a welcoming space for players of all genders to compete and thrive. The inclusion of the sport has allowed more students to participate, including those who don’t regularly participate in the program.

Max has been the catalyst in providing an inclusive space for people of different genders, age groups, goals and abilities to be involved with the Melbourne University Athletics Club.

Max does a fantastic job focusing on all club members and takes the time to ensure everyone's personal achievements are celebrated. This has created a culture of support and inclusion where members support each other in their pursuits.

Within her role on the committee, Lilia has worked incredibly hard to create an inclusive environment where members collaborate and assist each other.

Lilia volunteers several hours of her time every day to help the club through organising group dinners, extra rehearsals and training sessions, finding additional studio space, developing member surveys, and securing sponsorship.

Lilia’s collaborative approach to her role has created a connected club culture where everyone is willing to help each other out.

Further to the club’s award for Innovation, Sihong Wu has been acknowledged for his leadership on inclusion.

Sihong has ensured accessibility for students of all backgrounds and abilities, through beginner-friendly policies and creating accessible programs for all fitness levels.

Lastly, his inclusive leadership style encourages equality and career growth among the global staff members.

For the Dancesport Club, Sam has played a pivotal role in contributing to the club’s revival and growth, through running free classes, helping with demonstrations and fostering confidence in other members. Under Sam’s leadership, there were regular social events that attracted a diverse crowd of members, non-members, students and alumni

For Lifting, Sam competes, volunteers and referees, helping grow student participation and ensuring an inclusive environment for all.

Ruby led the Surfriders Club through and out of the pandemic, leading new initiatives for student recruitment, re-engaging club alumni, and investing time in the competitive side of surfing.

Ruby became the club’s first female President in 18 years in 2021 and was pivotal in championing women’s leadership at the club, making a significant contribution towards changing the club culture.

Maciej is a dedicated member of the club leading by example to keep the shed tidy and providing inductions to new leaders. Maciej’s actively engages with members of all backgrounds and is a very experienced and passionate scuba diver, always willing to help with random dive questions and requests.

As President and now Treasurer, Lachlan has spearheaded initiatives to promote inclusion, including the introduction of uniforms that recognise Indigenous and LGBTQI+ communities, and introduced the All-Abilities Program, ensuring that touch football was accessible to all.

His leadership has emphasised skill improvement, teamwork, and individual growth, contributing to stronger performances and overall team success across various club competitions.

Millie has played a pivotal role in the Club, holding various committee positions and fostering a positive, inclusive culture. Millie's commitment to professional development as a coach, willingness to learn has led to innovative training methods and strategies being used across the Club.

Millie helped develop the All Abilities Program with Lachlan Francis, creating an inclusive environment for all participants.

Danielle has served on the general committee and held a number of executive positions within the Club, being awarded Life Membership in 2022.

Danielle’s leadership has fostered an environment for personal and collective growth, particularly within the Women's Program and a focus on student engagement.

Alana has played a lead role in the sustained growth of women within the club.

Now President, Alana is always willing to support all members and those on the committee, from organising club social events to an on-the-ground pillar of the Club at the training and matches 4-5 times a week.

Tim joined the Club in 2006 and has been instrumental in fostering student engagement and creating a welcoming environment for all. As Vice President and then President, Tim has helped increase student participation and has contributed to sustainable growth in the club.

Tim has played, coached and team managed Touch teams at Uni Nationals on multiple occasions, is currently the Club’s Women's Head Coach and Women’s Elite Pathways Coordinator.

Tim’s leadership has enhanced club culture, making it a more vibrant and inclusive community for all, including past and present players, this was reflected by the club’s successful 25th Anniversary celebration.

Emily is a respected leader at the Hockey Club, with experience as both a coach and a captain. Emily joined the Club in 2004 as a student, began coaching the Women’s Sixth team back in 2005, and joined the committee in 2006.

Emily held positions of Secretary, Vice President and Coach of multiple teams and was awarded Club Life Membership in 2022. Over the past 20 years, Emily has shown and tremendous dedication to the Club and thoroughly deserves this award.

Greg has been involved in the Intercollegiate Regatta as a Boat Club volunteer since 2006 where he began as a referee and race starter, then Referee and Chief Judge, and more recently the Regatta Manager.

Managing all things from race day to boat hires, training and implementing safety during the 4 weeks of crew training, managing 20+ volunteers and working with governing bodies, Greg has cemented the event in the Intercollegiate and Boat Club calendar.

Greg also participated in the event as a Trinity College student for the first time, 51 years ago! Greg’s dedication, passion and elevation of the event as a whole cannot go unrecognised.

Since Tony started coaching in the mid 1990’s- he has been the main point of contact for students interested in distance running at the Club.

Tony has personally been responsible for hundreds of students joining, training and competing as a coach for over 30 years. Tony always goes over and above for his athletes, turning up to competitions all over the state and nation, taking time out of his own life to enable the best of his athletes.

Tony was instrumental in the Club’s 125-year celebration that connected many alumni back with the Club and is currently Vice-President.

The Club Individual Performance of the Year is awarded to Mohit Rudraraju (Tennis) and Luca Di Lallo (Uni Blues Football Club)

Mohit’s secured major victories and titles throughout the season in team competitions and individual tournaments, leading the Club to otable results and successes.

Luca was the VAFA Under 19 leading goalkicker, kicking 39 goals across the season and was a joint-winner of the competition Best and Fairest Award, recognising Luca as one of the best Under 19 footballers in the VAFA. Bob Girdwood is here to accept the award tonight.

The Club Team Performance of the Year is awarded to Melbourne University Basketball Club, Big V Women’s Div2 team.

The women's team overcame adversity with a change of coach during the season then only scraping into the playoffs with a buzzer beater in the final game of the season. The team then won all three finals defeating RMIT, Surf Coast and then Wallan to win the Championship. Jordan Allen is here to accept the award tonight.

The Club Coach of the Year is awarded to Junaid Hossain (Tennis):

Junaid has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to the team and athletes, going above and beyond in terms of time, effort, and support. He has a deep understanding of the sport, and he has successfully imparted that knowledge to players/athletes, improving their skills and overall performance.

Under his leadership, the club achieved significant results in competition wins, improved rankings, and personal milestones.

The Kendo Club celebrated its 35th Anniversary successfully with a MUKEN Takai and dinner event. In February, the Club hosted the Victorian Gwangju exchange on campus, which involved a Kendo Seminar attended by the Korean Consulate General to Australia and Korean representatives from the Gwangju Kumdo (Kendo) Association.

In addition to visits from multiple Japanese Sensei’s during the year, the Club appeared in the ABC’s program Monday’s Experts with Tony Armstrong. They delivered a new beginner course and women’s training session, helping grow club membership by 50%. They were dominant at the Victorian Kendo Championships, and had Club members compete at the National and World Kendo Championships.

The Club facilitated club-based grading as well as supported involvement with the Victorian Kendo Renmei gradings, supporting student-athletes to continue to develop their skills and capabilities as well as improve performances.