Sport: Aroha Waddell Wins 2 x Gold Medals 

Congratulations to Year 8 Aroha Waddell who won “Double Gold” to become a 2-time Hume Region Champion, at the Hume Region Swimming Championships at WAVES in Wodonga, on Friday (14th March).

The 13-year old won her Gold Medals in two Multiclass events (50m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke), and will now compete at the School Sport Victoria State Swimming Championships at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre on May 1st.

The Whitfield District Primary School product now part of our Inclusion Hub, is building a nice medal collection, having also won one as an Age Group Champion at our 2024 Swimming Carnival.

Year 7 Imogen Roccichioli also competed well, getting a 4th in a very strong 50m Breaststroke field made up of the best from over 40 schools in the region.

Rocchiccioli also swam the Butterfly leg in our 13-14 Girls Medley Relay team, with fellow Year 7s Jordana Moore(Backstroke), Havarna Long (Freestyle) and Year 8 Ellie Hutchieson (Breaststroke).

Our other competitors were our 15 Boys Freestyle Relay foursome, consisting of Charlie Bell, Lachlan Downing, Hugh Spring, and Oskar McGahan (replacing the absent Zach Wills). Sadly the boys somehow didn’t hear the starter’s instructions to mount the starting blocks, and missed their race. Something the boys will learn from.

Merlin Tzaros, as happens every year, was unable to compete due to having a Triathlon event in Tasmania. He would have been raging favourite to win the 400m Freestyle and book a place at the State Championships. But he can't do everything.

Big thank you to Sandy "Newmo" Newman for taking the team and driving the mini bus.

Thank you to W.H.S alumni and current WDSS Head Of Sport Rowan Barrow, who advocated via Sport Inclusion Australia for Aroha to swim in the Multiclass category.

Good luck to Aroha at the State Championships.

We believe Aroha is our 1st to compete at State Swimming since 2018 - when Year 12 Claire Hernan won Bronze in the 200m Individual Medley. Our previous medallist was in 2012, when Year 11 Jack Synott scooped Bronze in the 50m Butterfly.

We think our last State Gold Medallist was in 2006, when the Pane Sisters won 3 Gold between them. Year 8 Hannah Pane won the 14 Girls 50m Freestyle in a time of 30.30. Year 10 Emma Pane won both he 16 Girls 50m Breaststroke (36.20) and the Open Age Individual Medley (2:33.74).

Prior to that, other Gold Medalists included Barrow, Simone Gladigau, Michelle Pullen, Lynne Semmler and various Relay Teams.

We will publish a more comprehensive history of our State Swimming heroics closer to when Aroha competes.

Jud Mullins

Sport Coordinator.