Gazzard and Kowalik round out 2021 Torquay Angler awards

LAST weekend’s junior prize giving lunch was a welcome sight at the Torquay Angling Club after what has been a difficult 18 months of sporadic COVID-19 lockdowns.

Several awards were given out to the kids of almost 30 parents in attendance with a variety of great prizes on offer such as quality fishing rods, reels and trophies, followed by a barbecue lunch.

“These presentations encourage juniors into the sport and recognise their achievements especially in front of their peers, particularly now,” club president Peter Sharp said.

“Over the last 18 months we have had virtually no social interaction, junior or senior, so Saturday was a really good opportunity to get the people back together and catch up with old friends.”

The club’s Brag Board also made an appearance, showcasing the biggest catches of 12 categories of fish such as snapper, whiting, gummy shark, flathead, sweep, squid and more.

Two of the main awards of Saturday afternoon’s proceedings included the John Ainsworth Memorial Trophy and the Junior Club Champion.

The former of the two awards was presented by John’s sister Anne Udvardy to young gun Chase Kowalik.

The John Ainsworth Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the angler considered most inspirational amongst the junior ranks.

Mr Sharp presented the award for Junior Club Champion to Sam Gazzard for accumulating the most points over the last year.

“Last weekend’s presentation was just a great chance to get the club back together and as we move forward and get more restrictions eased, we’ll be doing more member gatherings,” Mr Sharp said.

“Surprisingly, we have 400 members, most of whom are local, but there are a number of people from Melbourne and other areas who holiday here, and with the state opening up there will be more people to make new friends with and grow the club.”

The Torquay Angling Club encourages all juniors to weigh in their catches so they can be part of the competitions this year.

Head to torquayfish.com.au for more information on the club as a whole.