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đ» IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE đ»
Gaze honoured as Piastri, Beachley claim Don, Dawn Awards
SENÂ âą Â November 18th, 2025 9:20 am
SENâs Andrew Gaze has been elevated to Legend status in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
The Australian basketball great, alongside womenâs cricket pioneer Belinda Clark, were promoted as Legends at Monday nightâs 2025 Induction and Awards Gala Dinner.
Gaze made his name with the Melbourne Tigers in the NBL, winning the MVP a record seven times, and was one of Australiaâs greatest ever players on the court, representing his nation at five Olympic Games.
He was initially inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013 and has now been elevated as a Legend.
F1 star Oscar Piastri won The Don Award - named in honour of cricket great Sir Donald Bradman - which is considered Australian sportâs highest honour.
The McLaren driver is one of only 15 Aussies to have ever competed in F1 and is a nine-time Grand Prix winner.
âWinning an award in the name of Sir Donald Bradman is a massive privilege,â Piastri said.
âEveryone in Australia knows exactly what he represented and the legacy he has in Australian sport, so itâs not lost on me how major this award is. Itâs always an amazing feeling to represent our country on the world stage and do well for ourselves.
âThank you to everyone that waves the flag and cheers me on at all the Grand Prix races around the world. To be a recipient of The Don Award is a great honour, and I look forward to representing our country for many years to come.â
The other key award winner on the night was surfing legend Layne Beachley who claimed The Dawn Award - named after swimming champion Dawn Fraser.
The Dawn acknowledges âan individual, team, or organisation - from this or a previous generation - who are courageous, brave, and have changed sport for the betterâ.
An emotional Beachley, just the fifth winner of The Dawn, was delighted to be honoured.
âI was pleasantly surprised and a little overwhelmed to be quite honest. Dawn is one of my absolute heroes, so to receive this award in her name fills me with immense pride and joy,â Beachley said.
âI refer to her as the matriarch of sport in this country and Iâm very proud to be receiving this award in her honour.
âWhen I joined the pro tour in 1990, I was shocked by the state of womenâs surfing and committed to changing the sportâs trajectory. Through compromises, sacrifices and battles, we achieved pay equity in 2018. Now women can truly aspire to be seen and respected in what was once a male-dominated environment. Itâs incredibly satisfying.â
There were seven new inductees into Hall of Fame - Lleyton Hewitt (tennis), Jason Dunstall (AFL), Laura Geitz (netball), Cameron Smith (NRL), Mark Schwarzer (football), Tora Bright (snowboard) and Dr Peter Harcourt (sports medicine).
