Share a Yarn

Amanda Reid is a proud aboriginal woman, five-time World Champion In Cycling and two time Paralympian in two different sports. Winning a silver medal at the 2016 Paralympics and now having qualified for a third Games in Tokyo. Amanda is passionate about supporting and promoting people with disabilities, particularly those in Aboriginal communities, letting them know that they are capable and can achieve great things. Having been an athlete for many years, she is will supported by her mum as well as her older sister who is visually impaired.

Beki Smith is a race walker and has competed for Australia at numerous international competitions. Most notable are the Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and World Race Walking Team Championships. Beki is a proud Yuin woman, her great grandmother coming from Wallaga Lake on the NSW South Coast and herself having grown up on Dharug land in Western Sydney. Beki is a mum to a beautiful son and is well remembered for the moment where her now husband proposed to her immediately after her race at the London Olympics.

Brooke Peris is a member of the Hockeyroos and is one of five children who grew up in Darwin NT with her large mob. Brooke loves her family, because there is never a dull moment between footy, holidays and endless laughter.  Brooke is a current Australian Hockey player, having been a hockey player for many years, she is a committed and driven athlete who attended the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and will be vying for selection to the Tokyo 2020 Games. Brooke works, studies a Bachelor of Education at ECU and enjoys spending time with her rescue dog, Wally.

Chris McHugh is an Australian Beach Volleyballer who has been a part of the national team for the last 13 years with career highlights such as a 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, 4-time Asian Beach Volleyball Champion and 6-time Australian Champion. Apart from being an athlete, Chris is a father to Jack and a husband to Denai, who has been an amazing support over his career particularly through injuries post the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Chris is deeply passionate about children in sport and encouraging them to get out and participate in all sports, particularly Olympic sports such as beach volleyball.  Chris has been able to experience a great deal through his sport traveling, and meeting people he now considers family. The trials and tribulations endured through the Olympic journey can't be replicated anywhere else and Chris wants all Aussie kids to have the opportunity to pursue their dreams and passions not just in mainstream Australian sports.

Emma Fessey is an Australian rower currently based out of the Women’s National Training Centre in Penrith. Emma grew up on a sheep and cattle station in far North Western NSW. Due to the remote area Emma’s schooling was done via Distance Education at home. Emma spent her time on the property learning about the land and how it is operated from both her family and the many Indigenous people who lived and worked around her, sharing their extensive knowledge and passion for the land. Emma developed a strong affinity and connection with the land and place she lived, and it holds great importance to her, her family and the Muruwari people. Emma studied a Bachelor of Food and Agribusiness at Sydney University to pursue her interests within the Agricultural industry. Whilst studying this degree she has balanced Rowing for Australia and competing internationally, chasing selection for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Jada Whyman is twenty years old and a proud Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman. Jada is originally from Wagga Wagga, now currently living in Sydney where she plays football for the Western Sydney Wanderers in the Westfield W-League as a goalkeeper. Jada has now been a member of the Western Sydney Wanderers for 5 seasons and has represented Australia in the Junior Matildas. When Jada is not playing football, she is working at Headspace, a youth mental health organisation, as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) outreach worker. This role requires Jada to go out into the community and connect with young ATSI people and support them with their mental health. Jada is extremely passionate about her work and honoured to hold her position at Headspace.

Jemima is an Athletics athlete, specialising in the 20km race walk. Jemima has been walking since the age of 8 and is a part of a Melbourne-based training squad. Sport gives Jemima a sense of purpose, a strong support network and experience in embracing challenges. She loves the opportunity to make friends and compete in interesting parts of the world, whilst wearing the green and gold. This year, Jemima is completing a Bachelor of Science at Melbourne University with a plan to start her medical post-graduate studies in 2021. She hopes to specialise in public health and is passionate about reducing the burden of non-communicable disease in disadvantaged communities. Jemima loves cooking, piano, indoor plants, farmers markets and spending time with friends.

Katie Kelly OAM is an Australian Paralympic Gold Medallist and had the honour of winning Australia’s first medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympics in Paratriathlon in the vision impaired class. She has also won two World Championships and was the first female para-triathlete to win Triathlon Australia's female athlete of the year award. Living with a degenerative condition known as Usher Syndrome, Katie provides insightful experiences of the challenges of disability through her 15 years working in corporate marketing roles in the sporting industry, as well as being an elite athlete Katie has always been a strong advocate of sport for the benefits it provides in developing our sense of self and belonging, as well as sport's capacity to help us achieve a cohesive, healthier and happier community. Katie has held pro bono roles with the Australian Blind Cricket team and Australian Deaflympic Team, and is on the Board of Deaf Sports Australia. She is also an Ambassador for the Royal Deaf Blind Institute for Children and Usher Kids Australia. Her proudest work was establishing Sport Access Foundation in 2017, a registered listed charity. Sport Access Foundation aims to improve access for Australian children with a disability to play sport. SAF also provided grants for indigenous children in its second year in 2018.

Basketball has been part of Laura Hodges life for 26 years. It's given her the opportunity to travel and live around the world, yet there's no country she loves exploring more than Australia. Laura has competed at 4 Olympic Games, 3 World Championships and 1 Commonwealth Games over a 16-year period. Her highlights are winning Gold at the 2006 World Championships and achieving Silver at the 2008 Olympics. In 2018 Laura and her husband welcomed a daughter Ava and love watching her grow. Laura returned to the WNBL this past season which was as challenging as it was rewarding. Basketball will always be a part of Laura’s life and she enjoys giving back to younger aspiring athletes.

Michelle has been an Australian Karate Team member for over 20 years. She has captained the country on numerous occasions and is currently ranked 28th in the world. Michelle is an 11-time Australian Champion, 3-time Oceania Champion and 4-time WKF Senior World Championships representative, including being the first Australian mum to compete at WKF K1 event, only 6 months after having my twins, and placing 2nd! Michelle is passionate about all forms of sport and creating a vibrant and cohesive community. She is currently employed as General Manager of Adelaide University Sport and her professional background is in physical activity and public health. She is passionate about inspiring people to be the best version of themselves, particularly young women.

Mitch Bullen is a former Athlete involved in Cycling Australia's High-Performance Program for several years, representing Australia on multiple occasions. Mitch is from a small country town called Armidale and is very passionate about grassroots programs and sports development. Through his time as an athlete, Mitch experienced many unique opportunities, travelling the world and making great mates through sport. Mitch is now focused on developing his professional career away from sport but loves following the progress of sport and sharing his experiences with the next generation of athletes.

Rowena Meredith has represented and medalled for Australia internationally multiple times However, it is not the medals that motivate her, but the people and relationships she gains along the way. Outside of rowing, Rowena is studying to become a paramedic where she hopes to be able to use it within a sporting environment to provide medical help. Additionally, she is interested in understanding different cultures within the community to be able to provide the best medical care possible. Rowena is based out of the Rowing National Training Centre in Penrith, competing for the Australian team.

Rebecca Hancock started sailing when she was 11 years old after watching her older brother Stephen sail every Sunday. One year later she found herself sailing with him in the NSW youth sailing team, in which they continued to compete together for two years. Now, Rebecca finds herself representing Australia internationally and looking to build on her success. If Rebecca is not on the water training, she will generally be in the gym or studying. She is currently studying exercise physiology at UNSW and working part time as a sailing coach at her own grass roots sailing club. She has always been very committed to sailing, becoming 2019 Nacra 15 Youth World Champion at only 17 years old whilst completing her HSC.