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Dillon takes out NT Safe Sports Award

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Local school sports legend Pam Dillon has been honoured by winning in the annual NT Sports Awards.

Good sports: Karen Schneider’s daughter, Katie Schneider, Pam Dillon and Chelsea Mulcahy, of Sports Medicine Australia.
Photo: Tennant & District Times

Fondly renowned in the region as Dillon, she took out the Karen Schneider SMA Safer Sport Award at a ceremony in Darwin on the weekend.

As the Barkly Sports Coordinator, Dillon travels to remote school communities for sports activities, then returns to volunteer and run Royal Life Saving NT (RLSNT) programs and activities.

She said it felt great to win the award and thanked RLSNT CEO Floss Roberts for nominating her.

Ms Roberts said Dillon takes swimming and water safety to the whole of the Barkly region in her sports coordinator role, and after a full day of work she runs bronze medallion, CPR and first aid training for remote teachers in the community.

“Dillon makes a positive impact on people’s lives, both students and adults, because she is passionate about water safety and lifesaving and cares for others so they don’t miss out,” said Ms Roberts.

“She builds confidence and skills of lifesaving in people and is a true ambassador for Royal Life Saving.

Her outstanding citizenship and contribution to drowning prevention is an inspiration to people living in the bush and the city. “Her contribution to lifesaving in the Northern Territory leads the way and she is a role model for youth in schools and the wider community.”

Dillon said when she first arrived in the Barkly and visited remote communities, many teachers and staff were not first aid trained, and now every school in the region has at least one if not all staff who are trained. Another one of her passions is teaching water safety to kids in remote communities.

She said many kids fill up wheel barrows or spoke about how they jump into water tanks.

“Jumping into water tanks is very dangerous, so I teach the kids about water safety and get them into Tennant Creek where we learn swimming and water safety while improving their strokes for swimming carnivals,” said Dillon.

The Karen Schneider Sports Medicine Australia Safer Sport Award was a new category in the 2022 NT Sports Awards. It honours the memory of the late Karen Schneider, a qualified sports physiotherapist who spent many years volunteering at sporting events to ensure that sport was safe for participants.

Tennant & District Times 3 June 2022

This article appeared in Tennant & District Times, 3 June 2022.

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