Darralee Gibson and Dawn Likouresis are the two finalists of the 2024 Vanessa Dempsey Award for their commitment to the engagement and support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander netball participants and communities.
The award is named after inaugural recipient, proud Ngarrindjeri, Narungga and Jingili woman, and well-known member of the Netball SA community, Vanessa Dempsey.
Darralee has been nominated for the role she played in re-establishing the Whyalla Aboriginal Sports and Rec committee by seeking funding for sponsorship to support sporting events like SA Nunga Netball Carnivals.
She is also an Aboriginal youth worker based in Whyalla and has been in the role since 2014.
Outlined in Darralee’s nomination, she has worked tirelessly to promote the inclusion of all Aboriginal youth and their families within the SA Nunga Junior Netball Carnivals.
Darralee has travelled to each carnival, organized trainings, and helped manage teams whilst making sure her netballers have the right uniforms and equipment.
Dawn Likouresis is a proud Adnyamathanha, Arrabuna, Antakirinja Elder, who has also been recognized as a finalist, for her contribution to the State Aboriginal Netball and Football Carnival for the past 51 years.
As stated in her nomination, Dawn has been a big advocate for promoting healthy lifestyles within her community through participation in sports.
She is the founder and director of the Lakeyres Netball and Football teams, where she works closely with young people to build good self-esteem whilst providing them with opportunities through netball.
As an Elder, Dawn works with the aim of implementing strategies that support Aboriginal children to thrive and grow up healthy. She strives to give her players the best opportunities so they can go on to reach a high level of netball.
Dawn was the recipient of the Lakeyres Club Champion Award in 2018 and played a big supporting role in the club’s back-to-back premiership wins in 2022/2023.
Outlined in her nomination, Dawn has been an inspiration within her community and is continuing to inspire positive change.
Her dream is to one day see more young Aboriginal people playing netball for Australia.
Award Criteria:
- Any individual, netball community group, Association or Club is eligible.
- The nominee has made a significant contribution in engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the netball community.
- The nominee supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the sport of netball.
- The nominee has developed opportunities, competitions or programs for inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Applications must provide evidence of consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and/or communities to ensure the initiative meets the needs of the community.
- A nominee may only receive this award once.
