Image: L-R Ben Demery, Amelia Matheson, Andrew Garvie & James Ryan (brother of Matthew Ryan)
The 32nd Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place on Thursday, 29th August, at McDonald Jones Stadium, where six outstanding Hunter athletes were honoured for their contributions to sports.
The Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame, which now includes over 350 elite athletes, recognizes individuals who have represented Australia or competed internationally, with roots in the Hunter region, either at the junior or senior level.
The 2024 inductees, who have earned the honour of joining the Hall of Fame, are:
- Amelia Matheson – Ice Hockey
- Andrew Garvie – Clay Target Shooting
- Ben Demery – Para-Cycling
- Chris Nicholson – Sailing
- Dan Repacholi – Pistol Shooting
- Matthew Ryan – Equestrian
These athletes now stand alongside celebrated Novocastrians such as Jenni Screen, Ray Baartz, Mark Richards, and Danny Buderus, to name a few.
Brett O’Farrell, Chief Executive Officer of the Hunter Academy, expressed his enthusiasm about the event, stating, “HAS is thrilled to once again host the Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame. It’s a fantastic opportunity to recognize and celebrate the careers of our region’s athletes with their family and friends, and to honor the significant impact that sport has on the Hunter community.”
A full gallery of images can be found here.
Learn more about our 2024 inductees below:
Amelia Matheson – Ice Hockey
Amelia Matheson is an Australian Ice Hockey Player who has represented the Australian Women’s National Team, competing in Australia, Slovenia and South Korea. She was also Assistant Captain in many of these. Amelia made history as the first female coach in the Australian Ice Hockey League, a significant achievement in a sport where female leadership is rare. Amelia’s impressive career includes a World Championships, including a Bronze medal in 2012. She continues to contribute to the sport by coaching and mentoring in the Newcastle region.
Andrew Garvey – Clay Target Shooting
Andrew Garvie was born in Singleton and has been shooting since 18 years old. He has won the NSW Senior Title several times and was a part of the team that took out third place at the World Championships in Canada in 2013. Andrew was the overall winner at the NSW English sporting championships, receiving third off the gun and 1st in the senior category. Andrew also placed top in the NSW State Championships.
Ben Demery – Para-Cycling
Ben Demery is an Australian Paralympic tandem cyclist with a vision impairment, his pilot throughout his career was Shaun Hopkins. Ben won a Silver medal in the sprint and a Bronze medal in the 1 km time trial at his first international competition, the 2006 IPC Cycling World Championships. At the 2007 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, he won Silver medals in both the sprint and the 1 km time trial. At the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, he won two Silver medals in the Men’s Sprint B VI 1–3 and Men’s 1 km Time Trial B VI 1–3 events.
Chris Nicholson – Sailing
Chris Nicholson is an Australian Olympic Sailor. He represented Australia at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, placing 6th and also represented Australia in the Athens 2004 Olympics, placing 7th. Chris also holds six World Championships 1992, 1994, 1997, 1998,1999, and 2002. He also is the Head Coach of the Rockwool Sail GP Team and has been awarded Australian Yachtsman of the Year for 1993/94.
Dan Repacholi – Pistol Shooting
Dan Repacholi is a five time Australian Olympian in Pistol Shooting. He started shooting at age 12, and made his Olympic Debut at 22 years old. He competed in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020. Dan is also a six time Commonwealth Games representative, winning Gold and Bronze at the 2006 Melbourne Games, Bronze at the 2010 Dehli Games, Gold and Bronze at the 2014 Glasgow Games and Gold at the 2018 Gold Coast Games.
Matthew Ryan – Equestrian
Matthew Ryan is a celebrated Australian equestrian who rode at and attended Maitland Pony Club. Matthew was selected to represent Australia on every Olympic team from 1988 to 2004, twice as travelling reserve and three times on the team. He won two gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, excelling in both the individual and team eventing categories. He then won another Gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics in the team event. Matthew was also inducted into the Australian Sport Hall of Fame in 2000. He announced his retirement in 2014 and continues to be heavily involved in the sport by coaching, commentating and high-level technical advising.
