Scholarship & Mentoring Program Committee
The Scholarship and Mentoring Program (S&MP) Selection Committee is responsible for considering all applications that meet the eligibilty criteria and submitting final successful applicants to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) Board for ratification.
The SAHOF S&MP Selection Committee comprises of up to five SAHOF Members, up to one additional expert, up to two SAHOF staff Members (including the Manager) and the SAHOF CEO.
Sue Stanley OAM – Chair
Sue has a career that lasted from 1991 to 1994 and a comeback in 2000; she single-handedly took sport aerobics from the health clubs of Australia to the world stage when she was crowned World Sport Aerobics Champion on three consecutive occasions.
Sue began winning gold medals on the international sport aerobics stage early in 1993. Her successive wins at the International Aerobic Federation World Aerobic Championships in 1993 made her the only woman in the history of the sport ever to successfully to defend a World Title. Sue’s incredible sporting achievements soared to an unparalleled level with her win in the 1994 World Aerobic Championships in Las Vegas. Her dream of becoming the only aerobic athlete to win three World Championships became a reality.
So dominant was Sue Stanley in the sport aerobics that she was undefeated both at a national and international level for four years. Amassing an amazing 35 consecutive wins, including three World Championship titles, numerous international titles and eight Australian and national championships. Without a doubt, Sue Stanley is the queen of her sport.
However, Sue is not only an Aerobics star. She is a unique individual who has been able to represent her country at the highest level, in four different sports. As a child she began her sporting career at the Australian Institute of Sport in the Australian gymnastic team, the versatile Sue then turned her talents to water-skiing and was able to represent Australia again at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. In a brilliant comeback in November 2000 at the Olympia World Championship, Sue, after a five-year retirement from all international sport, stunned the sporting world by winning gold and becoming the 2000 Ms Fitness World Champion.
Sue has now turned her attention to encouraging Australians and citizens of the World of all ages to take care of themselves and enjoy life to the fullest. Sue is a believer in the ‘sport for all’ principle. Her immediate aim is to utilise her current status and profile to deliver motivating, basic health and fitness messages to a broad cross-section of the community; reaching people who may otherwise not be inclined to participate.
Sue is considered one of the leading Australian women in sport. A recipient of a Medal of the Order (OAM) of Australia for service to sport, a member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, an Australia Day Ambassador, and is the recipient of the Advance Australia Award for her ongoing contribution to sport.
Achievements
- 1998: Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
- 2006: Appointed to Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Selection Committee
- 2006: Appointed Chair of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Selection Committee
Lauren Burns OAM – Athlete Member
Lauren Burns won the first Olympic gold medal in taekwondo when the sport made its debut as a full medal sport at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
She has a Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy), is a mother of two gorgeous children and is the author Fighting Spirit and her self-published cookbook Food from a Loving Home.
Lauren was awarded the Order of Australia in 2001 and has a string of international titles and achievements to her name. She conducts regular motivational presentations, active workshops and health and wellness programs and individual performance coaching, throughout Australia and abroad.
Lauren is currently working with the Gold Medal Ready program run through the Australian Institute of Sport, assisting athletes preparing for Tokyo and Paris. Lauren is completing her PhD in lifestyle practices and mindset of elite athletes at RMIT University and has published papers of her work in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. She is furthering this work by conducting research on interpersonal relationships in sport with the AIS.
Achievements
- 2017: Inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame
- 2019: Appointed to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program Selection Committee
Brad McGee OAM – Athlete Member
Bradley McGee OAM OLY, has been part of 6 Australian Olympic Teams stretching from Atlanta to Beijing as an athlete (Track Cycling) and most recently the Tokyo and Rio games as a Staff member leading the operation behind Rohan Dennis’ bronze medal on the Mt Fuji Time Trial circuit.
As an athlete, McGee achieved 5 Olympic medals (Gold, Silver and 3 bronze) on the velodrome and competed as a professional road racing cyclist over 11 years (1998 – 2008). During his professional career McGee won stages and lead all 3 ‘Grand Tours’ (Tour de France, Spain and Italy) – a first for an Australian.
Other notable results during his career included a perfect ‘5 from 5’ Commonwealth Games gold medal haul and multiple world championships and world records.
On conclusion of his professional racing efforts McGee turned to pro team directing to lead the Danish outfit, Team Saxobank, most notably to victories in the Tours of France and Spain during his 5 years with the squad (2008 – 2012).
In 2005 Bradley was honoured with an OAM. In 2017 he become an inducted member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and remains an ambassador for MS Australia since 2013.
Returning to Australia in 2013 to take up the dual positions as Head Cycling Coach for the New South Wales Institute of Sport and the National Technical Director for Road Cycling, McGee has recently navigated to the role as a High Performance Coach Advisor (NSWIS) and enjoys working across multiple sports supporting Australian Athletes to take on the world’s best through improved coaching delivery.
Achievements
- 2005: Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
- Inducted into NSW Hall of Champions
- 2013: Appointed Ambassador for MS Australia
- 2017: Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
Katie Craig – Sponsor & Programs Manager
Sport Australia Hall of Fame
(Maternity leave contract)
Katie Craig joins us with over 12 years’ experience in the sports industry and has extensive knowledge of sports media, broadcast, event production and campaign management.
Katie spent 11 years working at Cricket Australia across a wide range of roles, most recently as Production Manager within the Media Rights & Broadcasting team, where she managed and delivered high-profile strategic projects and events, including the ground-breaking docuseries on the Australian Men’s Cricket Team The Test which launched worldwide on Amazon Prime Video to critical acclaim.
Katie has experience across a diverse range of areas including sponsorship, marketing and communications, event production and management, PR, broadcast and content development, and creating and executing brand opportunities across various activities and platforms.
Prior to joining the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Katie worked as a Senior Event Producer at JAM TV, where she managed production of live events for JAM TV partners and developed and delivered media planning and video content and digital and social media marketing campaigns.
Katie joins us at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame covering for Bonnie Larkin while she is on parental leave. As Sponsorship & Programs Manager, Katie takes on a number of roles within the organisation including management of the Scholarship and Mentoring Program and Induction & Awards Program, as well as staff and operational management.
Chris Little – Heritage Coordinator
Sport Australia Hall of Fame
Chris pursued his passion for sport in 2012 when he started a Bachelor’s degree in Sport and Recreation Management. Throughout his studying years he completed placement work at the Western Bulldogs as a Heritage Cadet.
In his final years of study at Victoria University, Chris completed his final work placement at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in the redevelopment of the selection process, statistical and historical information. Due to the major role and influence Chris had on this redevelopment, he was offered a more permanent role at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame as the Heritage Coordinator.
Chris is responsible for overseeing the entirety of the Member selection process. This includes researching all Australian sport, collaborating with relevant sporting bodies, manage, maintain and expand the; committee guidelines, selection paperwork and nomination forms. The role maintains the integrity and neutrality of the office in the selection process and publishing of the selection documents.
His statistical analysis skills, research skills and broader historical knowledge is a valuable asset to Sport Australia Hall of Fame.