This is the presentation of the “No Guts, No Glory” Nippers award.
The award was won by Nipper Dionisii Liapin, presented by Jono Colwell and accompanied by Dionisii’s age manager Akari Sakauchi.
Below is the presentation speech. Not a dry eye in the hall!
Each year we present the No Guts No Glory Award to a Nipper who has shown courage, determination and resilience when faced with challenges.
This yearโs recipient is Dionisii Liapin.
In 2022, Dionisii and his family woke to the sound of explosions outside their home in Odessa, Ukraine. The war had begun. They gathered their documents and a few essentials, got in the car, and left their home not knowing where they were going.
They eventually found refuge in Poland, where they lived for three years. During that time Dionisii learned a new language, went to school, played football and tried to build a life far from home.
Eventually the family made the extraordinary decision to travel more than 15,000 kilometres to Australia to start again.
When Dionisii first joined North Steyne Nippers he spoke very little English and many of the activities were unfamiliar. In those early weeks, Akari helped him understand what was happening using gestures and demonstrations. Week by week his English improved, his confidence grew, and his understanding of Nippers developed.
It wasnโt long before something special happened โ Dionisii fell in love with the ocean. What started as something new and a little scary has become something he now dreams about. Surfing, bodyboarding and the waves have become a big part of his life.
His mum wrote something beautiful about him. She said that Dionisii has had to leave his home, his friends and his school โ and rebuild his life more than once. But each time he has shown kindness, respect, courage and the ability to believe and dream again.
Those qualities are exactly what the No Guts No Glory Award is all about.
Dionisii, we are incredibly proud to have you as part of the North Steyne Nippers community.
Congratulations. ๐ค๐