That was the overwhelming response of the record crowd of 350 people packed into Mittagong RSL Club last Friday night for the 24th annual presentation of the Berrima District Sports Awards.

The night of presentations had the lot, with 7 year olds to 70 year olds and all ages in between receiving justified recognition for their achievements on the sporting field.

Jye Bunt and Sophia Begg were the big winners of the Berrima District Sports Awards for 2002. They have won the Senior and Junior "Sportsperson of the Year" awards at a spectacular evening which paid tribute to the outstanding sportspeople of our area. It was an evening when sportspeople from all over the Wingecarribee Shire were recognised for their excellence and achievement.

The highlights of the presentation night covered all aspects of sport in the Wingecarribee Shire. The major winners for 2002 were:

Sportsperson of the Year - Senior - Jye Bunt - Hockey

Sportsperson of the Year - Junior - Sophia Begg - Athletics

Team of the Year - Senior - Mittagong Hockey Club 2nd Grade Lady Tigers

Team of the Year - Junior - Mittagong U/12 Touch Football

Certainly one of the highlights of the evening was the address given by swimming sensation Regan Harrison from the Australian Institute of Sport.

Regan gave an entertaining speech on life as Australia's top breaststroker, with a rundown of the time and effort he has to put into maintaining his number one status.

The highlights just kept coming. Five teams had won state championships so they too were recognised for their achievements. Everyone knows how strong hockey is in the Highlands so it was no surprise to find out that four ofthe five state-winning teams were hockey teams... no surprise but plenty ofacknowledgment for doing such a marvellous job.