Sheedy coming to Hay
Former Australian rules football TO HAY coach and player in the Australian Football League, Kevin Sheedy AO has been secured as guest speaker for the Hay Business Awards next year.
This will take place at Hay Services Club on Friday, March 4 in a partnership between The Riverine Grazier, Hay Services Club and Fitness Centre and Hay Shire Council.
Nominations are now open in the following categories: Business of the Year, Business Champion, Small Business of the Year, Employer of the Year, Employee of the Year, Apprentice or Trainee of the Year, Excellence in Hospitality, Excellence in Health and Beauty and Ambassador Award - the business that best champions our region or community.
Sheedy, a household name around Australia, played and coached in a combined total of 929 games over 47 years from 1967 until 2013, which is a VFL/AFL record. He was the first full-time coach in VFL/AFL history, and has spent most of his life teaching others as a guide and mentor.
Sheedy is a motivational speaker of note, and believes leadership is about sharing lessons learnt from a life well spent.
"I think that we can learn from everybody, there's no doubt about that, I think that's probably the best way I could look at my own life," he said. "I mean, there are just so many wonderful people in Australia.”
Among those who have inspired Sheedy was Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup in 2015. He describes her as a trailblazer who stood her ground against officialdom to set the pathway for herself and all women jockeys. He also drew inspiration from Jessica Watson, who in 2010 became the youngest person, 16, to sail solo around the world.
"The most courageous teenager in sport — in her craft — in my lifetime," he said.
He has praised the dedication of America's Cup-winning skipper and Olympic sailing medallist, John Bertrand who studied the wind and the ocean at university to help him become a great sailor. Bart Cummings is a man Sheedy describes as a ‘classic’.
In 1998, Sheedy was made a Member of the Order of Australia and in 2019, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of Australia. He received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000 and a Centenary Medal in 2001. In 2003, Sheedy was awarded the Anniversary of National Service 1951–1972 Medal for his service as a National Serviceman in the Australian Army between 1969–72. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2009 and is also a current Australian Apprenticeships Ambassador for the Australian Government. Sheedy was awarded an honorary doctorate from Australian Catholic University.
