10.15pm - Sports Star of the Year award.
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WORLD champions in sailing and cycling, Glenn Ashby and Glenn O'Shea have achieved an historic feat in the 50th Bendigo Bank Bendigo Advertiser-Prime 7 Sports Star of the Year award.
Five decades on from when the awards kicked off, Ashby and O'Shea became the first joint winners for gold at Friday night's glittering ceremony at the All Seasons Hotel in Bendigo.
Central Victoria's top sports achievers of 2014-15 were among the 23 finalists for the coveted Sports Star title.
A multiple world champion across various classes, Ashby began 2014 by winning the A-class catamaran final at the world titles sailed off New Zealand.
He also played a crucial role for Emirates Team New Zealand in the America's Cup campaign.
O'Shea played a starring role in Australia's track cycling campaign at the world titles and Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Victory in the teams pursuit on the Cali track in Colombia was O’Shea’s third gold in the discipline at world championship level.
A few months later and the cycling star from Eaglehawk won gold in the teams pursuit and silver in the scratch race at Chris Hoy Velodrome in his first Commonwealth Games campaign.
He has now won Sports Star four times. Previous wins were in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2012-13.
Because of racing commitments in London, O’Shea could not be at Friday night’s awards ceremony.
His pursuit of more track glory rolls on next week when he contests the Bendigo International Madison on March 8.
A dual winner of Bendigo’s great race, O’Shea will join forces with Jack Bobridge in the biggest madison in the southern hemisphere.
Bobridge, a multiple world champion and a Commonwealth Games medallist is yet to win a Bendigo Madison.
Just a few days after basking in Sports Star glory, Ashby will begin a new role as racing director for Emirates Team New Zealand’s latest America’s Cup campaign. He held the role of wind trimmer in last year’s Cup duel won by the USA.
Ashby is now a triple winner of the Sports Star of the Year gold statue.
The finalists Sports Star of the Year award:
February, 2014: Glenn Ashby, yachting; Nathan Wilson, lawn bowls. March, 2014: Bendigo Spirit, basketball. April, 2014: Bryan Jolly, judo. May, 2014: Matt White, BMX racing.
June, 2014: Zak Dempster, cycling. July, 2014: Glenn O’Shea, cycling; Brad Rawiller, gallops racing. August, 2014: Caitlin Thwaites, netball. September, 2014: Emma Cox, clay target shooting; Lucas Herbert, golf; and Joel Selwood, AFL.
October, 2014: Tessa Lavey, Gabe Richards and Belinda Snell, basketball; Kristy Packham, kayaking. November, 2014: Chloe Stewart, lawn bowls; Tim Decker, cycling. December, 2014: Mardi Chisholm, Patti Pain and Julie Ross, lawn bowls. January, 2015: Heath Behrens, cricket; Peta Mullens, cycling.
10.07pm - Faith Leech Achievement Award.
Cycling identity Tim Decker became the second recipient of the Faith Leech Achievement Award.
Decker joins Women's National Basketball League champions Bendigo Spirit as a winner honouring Bendigo's swimming legend and only Olympic gold medallist.
The Decker-coached national track endurance squad was in hot form in 2014.
Highs included gold in the teams pursuit at the world titles in Colombia and at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Later in the year, Decker underwent brain surgery after a subdural haematoma developed following a crash off his bike in training.
It was the greatest of challenges he has faced.
His determination was to the fore as he returned to coaching within a few weeks.
During his recovery, Decker spent a lot of time with his wife of 12-years, Michelle and their sons, seven-year-old Cohen and two-year-old Austen.
After starting his coaching career with the Bendigo Bank Academy of Sport, Decker has gone on to play a crucial role with the country's elite track cyclists.
After another successful world titles campaign, the focus is now on the build-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
10pm - Hall Of Fame inductees.
CASTLEMAINE’S Steven Oliver and Strathfieldsaye’s Glenn Ashby were inducted to the Hall of Fame at Friday night’s 50th Bendigo Bank Bendigo Advertiser-Prime 7 Sports Star of the Year awards.
The Hall of Fame inductions were announced by Basil Ashman, a member of the Sports Star of the Year committee since its inauguration.
Football, cricket, golf, lawn bowls and tennis are the pursuits at which Steven Oliver has excelled.
He is best known for his goalkicking feats with Castlemaine Football Club.
Oliver was the second player in Bendigo Football League history to pass the 1000-goal mark.
The brilliant full-forward kicked 1030 goals at senior level for Castlemaine.
The league record of 1624 goals is held by Ron Best, a Sports Star Hall of Fame member since 2005.
Oliver is a dual premiership-winning player for the Magpies.
He is one of only three players to have achieved the feat at the club.
Oliver played 13 matches in the AFL for Carlton, but the travel factor and homesickness meant he would devote his playing days to Castlemaine.
He had a five-year stint as the Magpies’ senior coach and later took on the role as the general manager of the Bendigo Football Netball League.
He returns to an active role in the BFNL this year as senior coach at South Bendigo.
Oliver’s all-round skills were to the fore on the cricket field.
He represented Victoria at the Australian under-17 cricket championships in 1987.
Opponents at those titles included Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn. Both would go on to carve outstanding Test and one-day careers.
A highlight for Oliver was clean-bowling Martyn in Victoria’s clash with Western Australia.
A keen golfer and lawn bowler, Oliver is kept busy off the fairways and greens as general manager at Bendigo Golf Club.
An Olympic silver medallist at Beijing in 2008 and a multiple world champion in sailing, Ashby’s career began on the man-made Lake Eppalock.
He has ruled the waves in various class of catamaran around the globe for many years.
Ashby is the second yachtsman to earn Hall of Fame status.
Dual Sports Star of the Year and sailing champion Greg Goodall was inducted 20 years ago.
Goodall has played a key role in Ashby's phenomenal success in yachting.
9.35pm - Trust fund winners announced.
KYNETON'S lawn bowls ace Chloe Stewart has become the first from her sport to be awarded the Maxine Crouch Trust Fund at the 50th Bendigo Bank Bendigo Advertiser Sports Star of the Year award.
A world champion at under-25 level, Stewart's long-term goal is to bowl for Australia at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Her performance to win the world title on the Broadbeach greens last November earned her first monthly Sports Star award.
The 19-year-old has earned selection in Australia's team for next month's Trans Tasman series against New Zealand.
Stewart will make international debut at senior level in the singles and pairs.
As part of her prize package, Stewart received a Fernwood Fitness voucher.
An Australian junior champion in cycling, Chris Hamilton was named the Cyril Michelsen Trust Fund recipient.
Hamilton's skill on the road, track and mountains caught the attention of the Sports Star judges.
He began the year by winning the under-23 criterium on Ballarat's streets at the Cycling Australia road nationals in January.
Racing commitments at the Oceania mountain bike titles and fifth round of the national series to be raced on Saturday meant Hamilton could not be at the Sports Star presentation.
In 2014, Hamilton represented Australia at the world mountain bike championships.
He also earns a voucher from D-Club 24/7.
Past recipients of the Cyril Michelsen Trust Fund award include cycling stars Robert Burns, Brent McCaig, Glenn O'Shea and Jack Haig.
9.20pm - The Sports Focus Administrator of the Year was presented for the 27th time.
This year's recipient was Kylie Evans from Sandhurst Hockey Club.
Six finalists were chosen by local government areas in the Sports Focus region.
A member of Sandhurst Hockey Club since 2007, Evans joined the club's committee a year later.
She played a key role in initiating the Sandhurst Development Fund, and the Sandhurst Volunteer Reward and Recognition Program.
Evans also works with Hockey Victoria and Hockey Central Victoria on various programs.
A hard-working volunteer, Evans is a prized asset at Sandhurst Hockey Club.
Also in the running for the 2015 award were Brett Ayres, Rochester and Echuca Football Umpires Association; Judy Crusell, Maryborough Netball Association; Ian Garsed, Newstead Cricket Club; Carmen Hemphill, Macedon Ranges Netball Association; and Marie Scott, Pyramid Hill Football-Netball and Bowling clubs.
A new feature of Sports Star was the Bendigo Health-sponsored Bendigo Healthiest School Award.
The first recipients were Violet Street Primary School.
The 50th annual Bendigo Bank Bendigo Advertiser-Prime 7 Sports Star of the Year awards are underway.
The feature awards will be presented from 8.45pm onwards.
In the meantime, here's Nathan Dole's preview of this year's awards.