Lumen Spring 2021 - Flipbook - Page 13
support women to achieve their sporting heights.
Following the success of Australia’s gold medalwinning women’s rugby 7s team at the 2016 Rio
Olympic Games, Rugby Australia created the
UNI7s competition, acting as a feeder league to the
national team. AUS made the decision to become
a part of this competition and created its first
elite sporting program, the University of Adelaide
Romas, named after Dame Roma Flinders
Mitchell (1913 – 2000) who was a pioneer of
the Australian women’s rights movement and a
University of Adelaide alumna.
In 1910, the University Oval was opened,
with a pavilion built alongside after 13 donors
contributed 100 pounds each to construct it. This
same year also saw the iconic Adelaide University
Boat Shed built, thanks to the generosity of R. Barr
Smith. AUS was given control of the University’s
sporting grounds in 1929, including the facilities at
the Waite Park Grounds.
Adelaide University Water Ski Club first leased
Adelaide University Sport’s Morgan facility on the
banks of the River Murray in 1970, and was given
the option to purchase by the original owners. This
lease was transferred to the Association in 2003.
The West Beach Facility, which is currently going
through a $2.5m upgrade, was first used by the
Adelaide University Soccer Club in 1973, after a
formal request was made in 1964 and permission
was granted to initially develop a facility there in
1973. In 2004, the Thebarton Training Centre
opened. The first clubs to use the facility for
training were the kendo and basketball clubs.
AUS prides itself on helping students achieve
sporting goals while balancing athlete life with
their studies. The Don Stranks Scholarship was
established in 1992 to support students who
excel in football or cricket, while the Bob Heddle
Scholarship is awarded to students who excel in
their chosen sport. In 2019, AUS announced a
partnership with People's Choice Credit Union to
award three new scholarships for women in sport,
athletes with a disability, and Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander athletes.
The enduring influence AUS has had on people's
lives is something of which the University should
be incredibly proud, according to the Association's
president. “Many people establish links and
friendships for life through the shared experience
of University Sport. It has also become a great
way for our international students to make friends
and to become involved in campus life,’’
said David.
If you would like to find out more about AU Sport,
or make a gift, please visit:
adelaide.edu.au/sports
PREVIOUS PAGE
Photo credits: University of Adelaide
Special Collections and Archives.
L to R: Intervarsity Athletics Team - 1962, Intervarsity Tennis Team - 1908,
Intervarsity netball - featuring Sandra Reynolds - 1966, Intervarsity
Swimming Team - 1934, Intervarsity Athletics Team - 1961, Intervarsity
Women's Tennis Team - 1936, Lacrosse Team - 1894.
LEFT PAGE
Intervarsity Rowing Team - 1959,
Intervarsity Swimming Team - 1935,
Intervarsity Women's Basketball Team - 1935,
Intervarsity Rugby Football Team - 1951.
RIGHT PAGE
Intervarsity Judo - 1960, Intervarsity Hockey Team - 1938.
ALUMNI MAGAZINE - SPRING 2021
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