** EWPC Presentation Night 2026 **

BEST AND FAIREST AWARDS

2025 Senior Summer State League

Women’s SL2       Winner :  Alexandra Steere                  Runner Up : Emmy Lyndon

Women’s SL3       Winner :  Sandra Mink-Grobbe            Runner Up : Megan Whitburn

Men’s SL4            Winner :  Ryan Mills                             Runner Up : Ambrose Mills

2025-2026 Junior Summer Competition

12&U Mixed         Winner :  Xavier Mom                           Runner Up : Harvey Briese

14&U Girls           Winner :  Alice Jakic                              Runner Up : Madeleine Clark

14&U Boys           Winner :  Ashton Kirby                          Runner Up : Angus Meissner

16&U Girls            Winner :  Josie Simnett-Sage              Runner Up : Madeleine Leahy

16&U Boys           Winner :  Jack Elmore                          Runner Up : Timo t’Jolle

COACH’S AWARDS

A player who consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication, improvement, sportsmanship, and commitment to the team and attending training

Junior Girls Winner : Anja DeRivero

Junior Boys Winner :  Nicholas Casaneanu

Senior Women Winner: Hannah Currie

Senior Men Winner : Matt Roberts

MILESTONE AWARDS

300 GAMES          Sandra Mink-Grobbe

100 GAMES          Emily Tulloch

BEST CLUBPERSON AWARD

Traditionally awarded to individuals who make an outstanding contribution to the club over an extended period of time.  Not awarded ever year - only when the club committee deems it is warranted.

(Last awarded in 2015)

WINNER – Andrew Cover

STEERE PERPETUAL TROPHY

For outstanding contribution in a representative team

WINNER – Felix Neal

LIFE MEMBER INDUCTEE - BRYAN WEE

Bryan has served on the club's committe for 20+ years, covering secretary, treasurer, vice president and took on the role of club president for 11 years. Bryan has periodically coached our women and junior teams during that time, has referreed on game nights and currently has 373 senior men's games under his belt and 433 goals! Prior to arriving at Essendon, he spent time at Monash, Melbourne Collegians and the NYP Dragons - but Essendon has become his home. He has also taken on additional roles outside the club. Bryan became a director for Water Polo Victoria (WPV) and served as their Vice President and Secretary for 6 years. During this time, he helped re-write the competition rules, the consitution and judiciary rules and has served on WPVs tribunal since 2009. More recently (2023), Bryan became the national Chair of Water Polo Austrailia's Tribunal. Bryan has also been a generous sponsor over the years, supporting numerous Essendon players selected in the Victorian Seals and Victorian Phoenix to play in the national series run by Water Polo Australia.

Below : Just some of the many photos taken on our Presentation Night... there will be more uploaded to our FB page

(credit to Torben Fink-Jensen and Julia Niemczyk)

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW - by Lisa Murray-Segal

In 1985, the Oak Park Swimming Club made the decision to expand into water polo. A small group of determined young men decided to give the sport a try, despite having no coach and little understanding of the game or its rules. They taught themselves, learning through experience, and endured some heavy defeats even while competing in the lowest men's division.

Two of those pioneers, Life Members Neville Brown and Gary McKinnon, made their water polo debuts during that inaugural season, and we were delighted to welcome them to our Presentation Night.

After only a couple of years, however, the swimming club's interest in water polo faded. Neville and his brother Adrian were left to keep the dream alive, financially supporting the club as it officially separated from the swimming club. Training continued at the Oak Park Pool during summer and relocated to the Brunswick Indoor Pool throughout winter, with only a small but dedicated group of committed players.

In 1990, the club reached another milestone by entering its first women's team, which debuted in the Winter Competition. Three members of that original team are with us tonight: Sue Brown, Briar Costello (née McKinnon) and Sheridan Mom (née Brown) .

Later that same year, the club celebrated another first when Shelley Matthews (née Pett) received Oak Park's inaugural Most Valuable Player Award from Victorian Water Polo following the State Championships. While Shelley was unable to be with us tonight, we acknowledge that remarkable achievement, as a novice player in her first ever water polo competition.

From that point, the club began to grow steadily, developing players and establishing itself within the Victorian water polo community. As membership increased, the facilities at Oak Park and Brunswick became inadequate, while the rising costs of pool hire and competition placed increasing financial pressure on players.

Recognising opportunities available to community sporting clubs in the Essendon area, the club relocated to the Windy Hill Pool and adopted the name Essendon–Oak Park. Through the vision and diligent work of Life Member Mike Boyle, we forged a strong partnership with the Essendon Football and Community Sporting Club at Windy Hill. That relationship provided vital financial support, allowing the club to invest in equipment, facilities and future growth.

Within just two years, club membership had doubled and for the first time we had juniors at the club. As our identity continued to evolve, we made the difficult—but appropriate—decision to simplify our name to Essendon Water Polo Club. While the name changed, our history never did. We remain immensely proud of our Oak Park origins and the dedicated people whose passion and perseverance built the foundations upon which our club stands today.

Although our partnership with Windy Hill significantly strengthened the club financially, fundraising has always remained at the heart of what we do. Thanks to the generosity and hard work of our members and families, we've been able to subsidise player memberships, particularly for our juniors.

Over the years we've sold snowballs, lamingtons, pies and chocolates. We've organised bowling nights, swim-a-thons and wine raffles. More recently, our Bunnings BBQs—led so successfully by Andrew and the Cover family—have become a major fundraiser. Every dollar raised has been reinvested into the club, benefiting every player who wears our colours.

Throughout this remarkable 41-year journey, our club has enjoyed countless social occasions that have strengthened friendships and created lifelong memories. We've hosted golf days, winery tours, barbecues, pizza nights, car rallies and even a day at a toboggan park.

Our Presentation Nights have been held everywhere from William Angliss Institute and the Water Ratz Hotel to Moonee Valley Racecourse—and even a shelter shed at Brighton Beach. We've enjoyed unforgettable weekend trips to Anglesea and Torquay, water skiing at Nagambie, learning to surf at Bancoora Surf Club, and one particularly memorable junior trip to the Australian Institute of Sport, where our players trained under the Australian Water Polo Coach and met some of the country's elite athletes.

There have also been fancy dress parties, tennis days, trivia nights, restaurant evenings, a drag racing experience at Calder Park, a cruise on the Tramboat and more recently, a burger night. These occasions remind us that while water polo brings us together, it is the friendships that keep us together.

Of course, the memories made on the pool deck have been just as significant.

Our women have captured an extraordinary 22 premierships, our men have claimed 14, and our junior teams have added another 14 to the trophy cabinet. We've witnessed countless hard-fought contests, plenty of scratches and bruises, Darren Steere testing the patience of more than a few referees, and the occasional tribunal appearance—thankfully all well in the past.

We've celebrated players reaching 100, 200, 300 and now their 700-game milestones. We've watched player friendships blossom into marriages, and many of our senior players have proudly stood on pool deck watching their children play their first games.

Over the years, Water Polo Victoria has hosted competitions at Hawthorn, Dandenong, the former State Swim Centre, Brighton Sea Baths, MSAC, Melbourne High School and, more recently, Caulfield Grammar and Melbourne Grammar. Our own club has proudly hosted competitions at Queen's Park Pool, delivered Flippaball programs and community clinics, and sent Essendon teams to tournaments in Albury, Bendigo, Geelong and to National Club Championships across Australia.

Perhaps most rewarding of all has been watching generations of young players grow through our club—developing into state representatives, coaches, officials and lifelong members of our water polo family. We've welcomed former players back into the pool, seen parents become team managers and volunteers, celebrated Weekly Wraps and Year Books, earned countless pennants and MVP awards from Water Polo Victoria, grown to more than 100 members, and continued to promote and develop the sport throughout our local community.

Looking back over the past 41 years, it is clear that our success has never been measured solely by premierships or trophies. It has been built on commitment, volunteerism, resilience, friendship and an enduring love of our sport.

To everyone who has played, coached, officiated, volunteered, fundraised, supported or simply cheered us on—thank you. You have all played a part in shaping the Essendon Water Polo Club we know today.

It has been an incredible journey, and while we are proud of everything we've achieved over the past 41 years, we know our best chapters are still to come.