It has been a huge two months for Onkaparinga residents, businesses, schools and more, with more award wins than you can count.
Welcome to the latest instalment of Award-winning Onkaparinga – our bi-monthly column honouring Onkaparinga businesses, organisations, groups and individuals that have won state, national or international awards in their chosen field. This is a long one, so let’s get straight into it!
Sporting success
It has been a huge few months for Willunga golfer, Steven Alderson, who’s affectionately known as ‘Spud’.
Steven earned international headlines after becoming the first autistic golfer to win a G4D Tour event, taking out the G4D@Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in Spain in October.
Not one to rest on his laurels, the Willunga Golf Club member jumped on a plane home in time to win back-to-back Webex All Abilities Players Series South Australia tournaments at his home course.
He then made it a trifecta of wins by taking out his second G4D event, this time at Dubai’s at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth course.
Spud, in his post-Spain win interview paid tribute (after his mum, dad and caddy) to his Willunga-based sponsors and the Willunga Golf Course.
“It’s a great golf club to be a part of,” he said.
“If you’re ever in Adelaide, come down south and have a game. It’s just a fantastic golf course and the people are really friendly and inviting… just great country.”
He’s not the only local sportsperson to have taken home state, national or international honours in the past few months.
Aberfoyle Park under-10 BMX athlete Penelope Blackwell won back-to-back-to-back AusCycling National BMX Championships, and also won that National BMX Racing Series for the third year running. She also took out the state BMX championships, State Road Championships and the Time Trial State Championships.
Not to be outdone, older sister Isabella Blackwell won the state BMX championship for under 14s, took out the bronze in the AusCyling National BMX Championships and National BMX Racing Series, and won the State Road Championships. Both automatically qualified for the 2025 UCI BMX Racing World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, where they hope to represent Onkaparinga, their state and country, and the Happy Valley BMX Club.
From BMX to ball sports, Cardijn College Year 9 student Trae has been named the 2024 Football South Australia U18 SL2 Player of the Year award in recognition of his performances and commitment with Noarlunga United Soccer Club.
And, while not technically an award, former Willunga Football Club and South Adelaide Football Club player Sid Draper, did his clubs and Onkaparinga proud by being selected with the Adelaide Crows pick four in the AFL National Draft.
Wakeboard whiz, Abbie from Reynella East College, placed third in the world for 10-13-year-old girls at the World Wakeboard Championships on the Gold Coast.
Also a shout-out to Woodcroft Library’s Senior Chess Team for winning the state finals! The after-school club is made possible through a partnership between Onkaparinga Libraries and Onkaparinga Youth.
Wineries and distilleries win big
A huge couple of months for Onkaparinga’s wineries and distilleries with a number of international awards. d’Arenberg was one of only two Australian vineyards to make the top 50 of the 2024 World’s Best Vineyards rankings at #32, while also winning Best Tourist Attraction at the 2024 South Australian Tourism Awards. Woodstock Wine was awarded Best New World Red at the Expovina International Wine Awards in Zurich, Switzerland for its 2018 The Stocks Shiraz vintage. Dandelion Vineyards won an award for its architecture at the 2025 Global Best of Wine Tourism Awards in Verona, Italy, as well as an SA Best of Wine Tourism Award for its architecture and landscape.
Nationally, McLaren Vale’s Salopian Inn officially has the best regional restaurant wine list in the nation, according to the judges of the Australian Wine List of the Year Awards. It won a suite of awards including Best Wine List SA, Australia’s Best Restaurant Wine List (Country) and Australia’s Best Listing of a Region’s Wines. Never Never Distilling Co. was awarded the title of Best Distillery Bar at the Australian Bar Awards. Chapel Hill’s The Vicar Shiraz 2021 jointly won the Shiraz of the Year in award-winning wine writer Tyson Stelzer’s Top 250 Australian Wines of 2024 list.
Other gongs picked up by Onkaparinga wineries and distilleries included Shingleback Wines’ 2023 NX Gen Grenache winning Best Dry Red Varietal award at the Royal Perth Wine Awards; Battle of Bosworth winning Best Organic or Biodynamic Wine trophy at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards for its 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon; Yangarra Estate Vineyard being the highest ranked South Australian winery in the prestigious Halliday Wine Companion Top 100 Wineries for 2024 list at #4; and Beresford Estate (Accommodation) and McLaren Vale Distillery (Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences) winning SA 2025 Best of Wine Tourism Awards.
Pubs, clubs, events and live music
Aldinga had a great month on the awards from with Big Easy Radio taking out the SA Music Award for best regional venue, Aldinga Airshow named state winner of the Australian Event Awards and Symposium, and Aldinga Bay Surf Life Saving Club winning Small Club of the Year at the Clubs SA awards.
Meanwhile, Willunga’s Samra Teague won the Paul Hay Award, which is presented annually by the Adelaide Roots and Blues Association.
Onkaparinga was even recognised nationally award, with the Santos Tour Down Under named the nation’s best sporting event at the Australian Event Awards in Sydney, beating out the likes of the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the AFL’s Gather Round. The council hosts stages annually, with the next race coming up on 17–26 January.
Best in the business
You might’ve spotted Lonsdale-based solar business MyEnergy in the list of Onkaparinga Business Award winners earlier this month (winning the Construction, Automotive and Trades award – Larger business category).
But the company also recently took home five gongs at the Master Electricians Industry Excellence Awards, including being named the national winner in the Clean Energy Project of the Year award for its Southern Ocean Lodge Hybrid Renewable Project in Kangaroo Island.
Reconciliation recognition
Christies Beach Primary School and Aldinga Payinthi College students jointly won the National Reconciliation Story Award, presented by Reconciliation Australia.
The award recognises an inspired Wakakirri Story-Dance Festival performance and community work to increase respect, reduce prejudice or strengthen relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
You can see their collaborative performance, “Hope for Makarrata: History is Calling” here.
Council gongs
The City of Onkaparinga was recognised with two statewide awards earlier this month.
The council won the Best Public Works Project (over $5 million) at the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia SA Awards for its Aldinga Sports Park Stage 1 project; and was also one of seven councils that jointly won the regional award in the Minister for Health and Wellbeing Excellence in Public Health Awards, for a project to improve oversight of onsite wastewater management systems.
Have an award win to submit?
Eligibility
For inclusion in the column, all of the following criteria must be met:
- Businesses, organisations, groups or individuals located in the City of Onkaparinga
- Winners of state, national or international awards in their chosen field
- Award received up to two months before submission.
Submission
Email to onow@onkaparinga.sa.gov.au
Please include:
- Your name and contact details
- Name and (if known) contact details of the winner
- Name and details of the award
- If available, web links to the award
- If available, high-resolution images.
Pictured
Left: Willunga golfer Steven "Spud" Alderson and caddie Trent Blucher; right: BMX sisters, Penelope and Isabella Blackwell.