Bowls recognised with two awards at AIS’ ASPAs
Bowls Australia (BA) was recognised with two awards at the Australian Institute of Sport’s Australian Sport Performance Awards (ASPAs) in Melbourne on Wednesday night.
Right at Home Australian Para Jackaroo Serena Bonnell was bestowed the Athlete Community Engagement Award, while later in the evening, BA’s High Performance team were presented the Win Well Award.
The ASPAs are the only annual national awards that celebrates the outstanding achievements of athletes, teams, coaches, volunteers and leaders in Able and Para Australian high performance sport.
13 awards were presented on the night, with the finalists judged not only on their success on the sporting arena, but also how they bring Australian sport’s united commitment of “we win well to inspire Australians” to life.
In accepting her accolade, Bonnell gave a poignant speech that exemplified the importance of inclusivity in sport and her standing as a champion of the cause.
“The importance of inclusivity in sport is much bigger than just sport, in really does bleed into other areas of the person with a disability, or different background or socio-economic situation’s life, it provides educational opportunities, opportunities in terms of their workplace, it allows them to feel included in their own family environment or school – sport offers that, where society doesn’t, so it’s really important that we offer it in all aspects of sport, and Lawn Bowls is one brilliant sport in doing that,” Bonnell said.
“From my own experience, I was a low socio-economic, housing-commission kid, my parents pushed for education for my twin sister and I, so I completed high school and went on to university, I studied Law and Psychology, and in my second year for doing so well, I was offered an opportunity of legal internship in China, where I got very sick and came down with a nervous system disorder, and it wasn’t until my twin sister, who was helping me at the time, stood next to me in a mirror, that I realised that I was now different.
“I had my sister, with the same education, same background and exact same appearance, but she was now treated differently by society than I was, and that was hard, knowing that I had worked so hard to get to that point, to identify that society was now in charge of my own goals and desires, and it was imposing stereotypes and challenges on me that I didn’t want imposed on me, so anything we can do in sport to push those stereotypes back and showcase how inclusivity should work and the importance of sport in really identifying how we should respect and treat each other is crucial.”
BA’s Performance Director and National Coach Gary Willis was thrilled for the sport’s staff and athletes, in particular Serena.
“We’re incredibly fortunate to have an amazing group of staff and athletes, who have not only made us a very successful country on the green, but who have bought into a ‘people first, player second’ ideology that’s fundamental to making sure our people are elite on the green and elite in life as well,” Willis said.
“We’ve strived to operate a fully integrated and inclusive program, and have built a culture of shared values that helps athletes lead balanced lives, and fostered a sense of belonging by celebrating individual and personal milestones as well as success on the green.
“Serena’s significant work has shone a light on para bowls and has been instrumental in encouraging inclusivity in the bowls community, and the Jackaroos players and support staff applaud her for her tireless work and congratulate her on her deserving recognition.”
BA’s CEO Matthew Kennedy acknowledged the valued contribution and support provided by the Australian Institute of Sport and Australian Sports Commission.
“As an organisation and sport, we’re thrilled that our High Performance team have been recognised by the AIS at this function for the coveted Win Well Award, and we applaud Serena for her amazing contribution that saw her recognised as the Athlete Community Engagement Award recipient,” Kennedy said.
“We express our sincere appreciation to the Australian Institute of Sport and Australian Sports Commission for this Award and for their much-valued funding and other support that is instrumental in our success both on and off the green, enabling our ability to win well.”
Serena Bonnell – Athlete Community Engagement Award winner
Para Jackaroo Bonnell is a proud ambassador for the LGBTQI+ and disability communities.
She participates in the AIS Thrive with Pride program and has been instrumental in encouraging inclusivity in the bowls community by hosting para come-and-try days and one-on-one training sessions, as well as helping emerging para players get on the pathway to state selection.
Following the success of her inaugural Rainbow Versatility Pairs event on the Gold Coast last year, which saw players of varying ages, backgrounds and abilities participate, Bonnell collaborated with Bowls Western Australia to run the event across two states in 2024, with the aim of expanding even further in 2025.
This year, she also ran the inaugural Hawks Blue Ribbon open singles, a multi-disability event that exceeded capacity, as well as a para-inclusive pairs competition in June, matching an open player with a para player and attracted Bowls Australia ranking points.
The Commonwealth Games silver medallist’s passion for inclusivity is unwavering, demonstrated by her commitment to achieving a Guinness World Record for the longest indoor singles game against Ellen Falkner MBA in November last year.
The pair played a consecutive game of lawn bowls for 33 hours and 12 minutes to challenge societal perceptions of citizens with disabilities, and to prove that their will and determination can rival that of anyone else.
Bowls Australia – Win Well Award winner
When considering what it takes to win, Bowls Australia has a ‘person first, player second’ philosophy embedded in their High Performance strategy.
Under this framework, Bowls Australia strives to provide clear support and guidelines to help staff and athletes lead balanced lives and foster a sense of belonging by celebrating individual and personal milestones as well as success on the greens.
Some of the initiatives that support this approach include a parenting policy to support athletes travelling with young children, a carers policy that fosters an inclusive environment for athletes with a disability, formalised support for athletes transitioning in or out of the HP program and performance and professional development opportunities for both athletes and staff.
To encourage a culture of shared values from grassroots to high performance, Bowls Australia worked with top-tier Jackaroos as well as emerging athletes and staff to develop the Jackaroos Playbook. The playbook outlines agreed values and behaviours that combine challenge and care to support athletes and staff to perform at their best.
Similarly, Bowls Australia’s Athlete Leadership Group consists of both Open squad members and our Para squad members, further highlighting the fully integrated and inclusive program that Bowls is proud to lead. Athlete leaders meet on a regular basis and have significant input in new processes around athlete transitions, disciplinary processes and valued behaviours.
Both Open and Para Jackaroos also purposefully contribute to building a legacy where Bowls Australia continues to be a leader in inclusion and diversity.
