The Cootamundra Sports Foundation (CSF) has been providing help to young sportspeople, schools and sporting clubs for 44 years.

Formed in 1974, the initial aims of the CSF were to promote sport, bring sporting guests to town and most importantly to foster “charity in sport.”

It was a vision of the first executive that the CSF would raise funds to help local sportspeople and clubs to follow their sporting goals.

Noted sportspeople were invited to Cootamundra as guests at a dinner to raise money which was then given to community sporting groups.

The first guest speaker was dual international footballer Rex Mossop and the second was Australian Cricket captain Ian Chappell. Other guests in the early years were yachtsman Jim Hardy, tennis great Evonne Goolagong, rugby union international Trevor Allen and legendary ABC sporting commentator Norman May.

In 1984, the first sportsperson of the year presentation dinner was held with Paul Field, the last NSW Country based rugby league player to represent NSW in the State of Origin series, named as the winner.

The major award is now named the Frank Smith Memorial Trophy after one of Cootamundra’s favourite sons.

In 2011 the Max Rudd Memorial Trophy was introduced for service to sport in honour of Max’s outstanding contribution to sport - both on and off the field.

Each year there is a large variety of sports represented in the nominations, reflecting Cootamundra’s rich sporting history and its diversity.

Over the past 25 years the focus of the CSF has been on helping junior athletes, local district schools and junior sporting clubs with donations to assist them with meeting their costs in running their sport programmes and playing representative sport.

All money raised from the dinner is used for this purpose with close to $70,000 raised. 

The current CSF committee has nine hard-working members and comprises of Christine Leahy, Graeme Worboys, Eric Thorburn, Phil Nott, Jim Slattery, Ray Godbier, Angela Trinder, Craig McTavish and Bill Godman.

Who will be named Cootamundra’s top sportsperson for 2017 and receive the Frank Smith Memorial Trophy?

That question will be answered at Saturday night’s CSF sportsperson of the year dinner with 160 guests booked in for the night. 

Athletics sprinting superstar Scott Reardon is the special guest for the night.

Reardon, who hails from Temora shot to stardom by winning the 2016 Rio Paralympics gold medal in the 100 metre sprint and followed by claiming the World Championship title in 2017.

His attendance is a great boost and presents an opportunity for local residents to hear Reardon’s story of courage, determination that led to his great achievements in both water skiing and athletics.

The CSF has received an excellent mix of nominations from a wide variety of local sporting clubs and schools for both the individual and team awards.

There is a very good group of talented juniors who achieved at a high level in sport in both the school system and through their local junior sporting clubs.

Nominations have come from cricket, basketball, athletics, rugby union, rugby league, league tag, soccer, martial arts, Australian football and even dragon boat racing.

Some of the standout juniors include: James Doyle, Samantha Graham and Alexandria Oliver, Sam Gash, Wayne Parker and Lachlan Sedgwick, Jack Ruskin, Anisa Rees, Max Tiernan, Michaela Webb and Jeremy Lott.

At a senior level, Matt Berkrey (cricket), Darren Connell (cricket) and Renae Glanville (league tag) were amongst the high achievers in an exciting year of sport in Cootamundra.

In the team awards, junior basketball, league tag, Australian football, school rugby league and junior rugby union head the list of nominations.

Cootamundra’s long list of excellent sporting club administrators has not been forgotten either, with the administrator award and the Max Rudd Memorial Trophy for contribution to sport to be presented during the evening.