Manawatū Special Olympics awards presented at dinner evening

Special Olympics coaches awards went to Libby Sheppard, Matthew Westwood and Carla L'Huillier.

Special Olympics Manawatū held a dinner in October to present long service awards for volunteers and coaches, and to make presentations to the eight Special Olympics coaches, athletes and officials who made the finals of the 2019 Central Energy Trust Manawatū Sports Awards.

Originally scheduled for March and postponed twice, Special Olympics took the opportunity to hold their own presentation.

The Special Olympic World Summer Games were held in Abu Dhabi in March 2019 and five Special Olympics Manawatū coaches went with the team.

Coaches Carla L'Huillier, Shona McGahan, Lyn Ryan, Helen Johnson and Olwyn Humphries, supported the five athletes: Libby Sheppard, Natasha Nicholson, Matthew Westwood, Braden Kendall and Mark Cressingham.

Team doctor Jonathan Kok completed the Manawatū contingent of 64 in the New Zealand team.

The games were the largest sporting event held in the world in 2019 with more than 7500 athletes from 190 countries, 2500 coaches and over 20,000 volunteers.

L'Huillier said the games were an amazing event, and the NZ team brought back 32 medals.

The Manawatū club also sent the head technical delegate for bocce, Mike Ryan and two bocce officials, Conrad Ryan and Peter Humphries.

The Professionals Realty Coach of the Year award went jointly to Carla L'Huillier and Shona McGahan.

"The club could not run without our many fabulous volunteers who were also presented long service awards," said L'Huillier.

The long service awards were presented to Sharon Alexander, John Dunweg, Ian Westwood and Judy Brewer, 10 years; Olwyn Humphries, 20 years; and Marianne Pool and Jim Pit, 30 years.