Ambassadors
By Annie Stalley
I met Donnica during my first nipper season when I was 13 and she was 12. We had both been selected into the Central Coast Interbranch team, the first time for me, and even at this young age she had already made a huge name for herself in the world of surf life saving where everyone knew who she was and everyone she competed against knew that she was going to be there, a feeling that I can definitely relate to when I competed against her in later years. I can clearly remember being in absolute awe of her the first time I saw her do a flag turn and I turned to another beachie in the interbranch team and I said "there is no way that that girl is only 12." Funnily enough even though Maddie, who is 2 years younger than me and was also in the team, I was the one mistaken for being the youngest person in the team for the entire competition weekend. Another memory I have of that first carnival is all the help and support that Donnica gave to me personally whether it was showing me how to build starting blocks or cheering on the sideline and that was where our unique but extremely strong and important relationship kicked off.
I say unique relationship because the thing about competing in surf life saving is that, as fun as it is, it's not something that is part of your life; it's something that, to do it properly, it is your life. Every little thing you do will impact on your training or your performance so for the vast majority of the year you live and breathe it. So although Donnica and I never saw each other socially she is probably the person who has had the biggest and most important influence on my life because I knew that while I was training and being entirely focused on competing, so was she, and even though other people out of the sport didn't understand why I was doing it, she was my motivation and reasoning to always be better.
We roomed together in every state team and most interbranch teams for 4 seasons and I know that everyone else in those teams loved the fact that she was there every year, number one for all the points that she brought in but also because she loved to support her team-mates and she could yell really, really loud. The season when Donnica first hurt her ankle she wasn't able to compete in the interbranch team but Kerrie was there as a chaperone and I remember her getting off the phone to Donnica (who was calling to wish the team luck) and Kerrie seemed really exasperated and when I asked her what had happened said "oh Donnica was at the beach all day, got really burnt, and the only bit of sunscreen she put on was writing Nica on her stomach!" and sure enough I saw her a few weeks later and right across her whole brown stomach you could see, clear as day, Nica, which I don't think ever faded.
Donnica and I, coming from very competitive and opposing clubs were friendly rivals and to this day I have never wanted to beat someone as much as I wanted to beat Donnica, because I knew that she was the best. My first year in seniors, Donnica was in her last year of nippers, was the first time that we ever raced. We had both been training so hard that season because we knew the other one was training hard and was going to show up to the state and Aussie final running at their absolute best. We finally raced each other in the state final. Donnica, who was on my right-hand side, as usual had a brilliant start, and I, as usual completely missed the start in the most important race I have ever run. She was in front of me by quite a lot and I remember getting this panicked but determined feeling in the pit of my stomach and I reached for the first time my top-speed where I felt as if my feet never actually touched the sand and I overtook her right at the very end. I will never forget the fact that to beat Donnica she made me run the fastest race I have ever run in my entire life and to this day I have never found a competitor that has made me do that again. Admittedly about a month later we raced again in the Aussie sprint final where she absolutely beat the pants off me from start to finish and came home from that Aussie championship with not 1 but 2 gold medals while still being a nipper, something that I am still recovering from! After receiving our medals at this championship we shook hands again and I said to her "well it's one all… I'll see you in 2 years… and I'll be back" and she smiled and she said "yeah, well… so will I." And I knew she would be. Even though I don't directly race her anymore she's always in the back of my mind at every training session and she's right there in the lane next to me in every race because no one else could ever be good enough to replace her as my rival, my team-mate and my friend.
Kerrie, Tony and everyone else on the board, thankyou for everything that you have done, I can't think of a better way to honour the memory of Donnica than this foundation. She would absolutely love it. To all those team-mates, coaches and friends of Donnica, the best way for us to keep her proud and honour her memory is to do what she said when she was just 13; "Just keep trying; you'll always get there eventually. It doesn't matter if you are not top of the group you're always out there trying."
Tribute to Donnia - by Maddie Powell
It's been a year now since my friend
Was taken far away
A friend who meant a lot to me
In many different ways
We wore our Terrigal caps with pride
While competing on the sand
Our friends all chose the water
We felt safer on the land
For years we were the only two
Who dared avoid the sea
But bluey's never bothered us
And from sea lice we were free
Nica was a tyrant
At flags and sprints she reigned
I admired her awesome talent
And the respect she had obtained
Her goals she set with passion
She pursued them hard and fast
Pity help those up against her
There was no way she'd finish last
But really more importantly
She was a special friend
Supportive, caring, loyal
Encouraging to the end
We beachies had a special bond
Which I'll never, ever forget
I am richer for her friendship
For her inspiration I am in debt
I miss her happy, friendly face
When I put the blue cap on
But I know she's up there with me
Pushing me along
Right now I'm on a mission
To achieve my every goal
And I have my guardian angel
Playing a very important role
I'm sure this new foundation
Dedicated to Nica
Will help a lot of athletes
Reach all their goals in sight
Nica's wish is so important
That everyone keeps trying
Always give your best
The rewards will be inspiring
So let's all get together
And support what Nica meant
Someone who gave us everything
Right up until the time she went
