Generations of athletes have come through Dubbo Athletics Club during the past two decades and there's been generational change to the track and field infrastructure, but Cameron Porteous has been a constant throughout.
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Porteous had dedicated 18 years of his life to volunteering at the club and those efforts were rewarded at Victoria Park on Australia Day when he was the named the recipient of the 2023 Services to Sport award.
Porteous first joined the club committee when his daughter signed up to Little Athletics at four years of age and he is still there today as holds the role of opens/masters registrar and results.
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He still helps out at Little Athletics time despite his daughter no longer competing while he's also a masters athlete in his own right.
He was part of the club's move to the world-class Barden Park facility and he was there again just last weekend when Dubbo hosted the NSW Country Championships.
"It's a community I've grown pretty used to," Porteous said.
"I've seen generational change but I find athletics as a sport is very inclusive so it's not just the athletes who can get involved.
"Parents can get involved on the committee or become officials and I've been involved in most."
![Cameron Porteous received the Service to Sport award at Dubbo's Australia Day ceremony at Victoria Park. Picture by Belinda Soole Cameron Porteous received the Service to Sport award at Dubbo's Australia Day ceremony at Victoria Park. Picture by Belinda Soole](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/dCXpDgwTEgA52iNCe5aWtJ/b0cc2f4a-b94d-45fd-967b-6d2c0c6d6c1b.jpg/r0_0_3600_2400_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The move to Barden Park has been the biggest change Porteous has seen in his time at the club.
It was a long and drawn out process, involving years of planning, design after design, plenty of meetings, and a whole lot of waiting.
The elite facility finally opened in 2014 but it was the period just before that, when the club was run from a temporary home at Bob Dowling Oval, that Porteous can clearly remember.
"We had to move ... for about two years and we had to fit our equipment into two containers down there," he laughed.
"At the time the RSL club had closed so we had about 300 new athletes and it was chaos.
"But we get people from all over the zone and NSW come to Barden Park and comment on how lucky we are to have it and it is a fine facility."
Just last week it was announced $1 million in funding would be given for a resurfacing of the Barden Park running track to ensure it remains at a world-class level and continues to give athletes in this region every chance to shine.
Porteous has already seen many talented athletes at Barden Park, from hurdlers Payton Smede and Maya Piras to current stars Ella Penman, Grace Peters, Max McAneney and Emily Lousick.
Just last weekend, Lousick was the toast of the NSW Country Championships when she set a new record in the 13 years high jump event.
"You get the pleasure of seeing them start off as tiny tots and I've seen a few generations," Porteous said.
"I've seen a few and it's great to see them develop and excel at their sport. Even the ones who might not (excel), you still get to see them and as long as they're out there trying and giving it a go, that's the main thing."
Porteous was keen to thank Dubbo Regional Council on Australia Day for not only the award, but its ongoing support of Dubbo Athletics Club.
He also thanked the committee and while he has been a dedicated servant of the club for close to 20 years, he said more help is always needed.
"It's the hardest part, keeping it going and getting the members to come in so it's not left to half-a-dozen people," he said.
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