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A Lavender Hill community leader has been awarded a ministerial commendation at the provincial 2022 Sport Awards held on Saturday 17 September.
Western Cape Minister of cultural affairs and sport Anroux Marais bestowed ministerial commendations on Stormers head coach John Dobson, Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust director David Bellairs, Valerie Goliath for championing sport at grassroots level in the Central Karoo area and Mark Nicholson, director at the Lavender Hill Sport and Recreation Foundation.
“We know that for those here tonight, sport is not just a job – it is a passion and a calling. I want to encourage you to continue living out your passion for your sport in any way that you can.
“Whether it is through offering coaching support to a team that does not have access to a qualified coach, teaching a young child basic sporting skills or simply sharing your stories with others – it is through teaching and sharing our knowledge that we can grow the next generation of sporting stars,” said Marais.
Mark Nicholson, Director at Lavender Hill Sport and Recreation, said he felt honoured to receive the award.
“I feel honoured and appreciated, this award is for the people of Lavender Hill.”
Nicholson whose love of sport began at a young age says a knee injury ended a career in school and club football.
“At a young age I played sports at school level and played for a club called Strikers FC in Cafda until I fell on a rock and broke a tiny bone in my knee which ended my football career at age 16.”
A move to Lavender Hill, as a teenager, led to a string of questionable choices before turning his life around.
“When I moved to Lavender Hill, I became addicted to drugs and it took a lot of me, as most of my teenage and youth life was spent on drugs and alcohol because I did not have a role model to guide me,” said Nicholson.
He turned back to sport and started coaching in 2001.
“When I turned my life around in 2001, I started to coach an under 10 soccer team of girls and boys which motivated me to start a sports club as many children did not have a role model to guide them away from a life of gangs, drugs and violence.”
Nicholson now coaches and inspires children through sport and motivational talks at schools.
“I motivate, inspire and speak self-love in children and young people so that they don’t lose focus on their dreams to be the best that they can be.
“Sports in our community changes children’s mindset from heartbroken to happy because sport is the healer.”
Award winners on Saturday included Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis, who took home the award for Coach of the Year, while Gunther Kramer from Western Cape Archery and Glenda Pieters from Western Cape Fencing were announced as Sportsman of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year respectively.
