Sports Spotlight: Simoné Botha
August 1, 2025
Year 11 student, Simoné Botha, is carving out a name for herself as one to watch on the netball court, with her dedication and talent earning her multiple state and national honours this year.
After a standout performance at the Netball State Championships in May, Simoné was selected for the Queensland Representative School Sport U/19 team, earning Most Valuable Player (MVP) honours for the Darling Downs U/19 side. Later this year, she’ll join some of the state’s top young players at a high-performance camp on the Gold Coast — a coveted opportunity to refine skills and learn from the best in the game.
Earlier in the 2025 season, she took to the national stage as part of Queensland’s U/17 team at the Netball Australia National Championships. Her leadership skills shone through as she was appointed Vice-Captain, guiding the team to a commendable 5th-place finish. Her impressive form during the tournament caught the eye of national selectors, leading to her inclusion in the U/17 Australian Netball Squad and recognising
her potential at the highest level.
In early July, Simoné’s sport took her to Canberra, where she joined fellow rising stars at the Australian Institute of Sport for an intensive high-performance training camp. The experience offered a unique chance to learn from elite coaches and train alongside some of the nation’s best young talent.
Closer to home, Simoné continues to compete in Queensland’s premier netball competitions, playing in the Ruby division of the HART Sapphire Series in Brisbane. Looking ahead, she’s excited to make her debut in the prestigious Sapphire High Performance Netball League.
With her passion, skill and determination, Simoné’s journey in netball is only just beginning and there’s no doubt her name is one we’ll be hearing for years to come.
More News…
Our Year 12 Visual Artists achieved outstanding success in the 2025 Creative Generation Excellence Awards and were recognised at the Official Opening of the DDSWQ Regional Exhibition. Congratulations to the girls on their outstanding achievements: > Certificate of Excellence Award – Bron Francis, ‘Choose your path’. Bron’s work will be exhibited at QAGOMA in 2026 as part of the State’s Central Exhibition – an incredible honour! > Regional Encouragement Award – Amelia Bryant-Peterson, ‘Perspectivae Culturales de Morte’ (cultural perspectives about death) > Certificate of Commendation Award – Indianna Hitchcock, ‘Omnia ad Initium Redeunt’ (Everything Returns to the Beginning) > Certificate of Participation Award – Yas Lethbridge, ‘Perceived Façades, Assumed Expectations and Underlying Realities’ This year, from almost 500 submissions across 168 schools in Queensland, only 150 works were shortlisted, with just 40 Excellence winners (including 2 from the DDSWQ region) and 8 Regional Encouragement awardees. The DDSWQ Regional Exhibition is on display at the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery until 16 November – we encourage you to visit and view these inspiring works.
It was a huge holiday for our Equestrian State Representatives, who took to the arena at the Australian Interschool Equestrian Championships. The team’s hard work and dedication paid off, with Hayley Richter (2nd), Kate Frith (3rd) and Ruby Hooper (3rd) achieving incredible top three placings among the nation’s best young riders. Adding to the excitement, Ruby enjoyed a star-studded moment meeting Olympic Showjumpers Hillary Scott and Vicki Roycroft, along with Olympic Eventers Stuart Tinney and Shane Rose. We’re so proud of all our riders for representing Fairholme with such skill and spirit. Check out the full list of results below. Combined Training Hayley Richter: Secondary CT95cm – 2nd Overall Kate Frith: Secondary CT2* – 3rd Overall Dressage Hayley Richter: Int. Novice 2.2/2.3 – 12th Overall Lucy Doolin: Int. Novice 2.2/2.3 – 14th Overall Bella Ostwald: Sec. Medium 4.2/4.3 – 8th Overall Bella Ostwald: Sec. Advanced 5.2/5.3 – 9th Overall Eventing Jemima Southwood: EV. 95cm – 6th Overall Gracie Bunker: EV. 80cm – 22nd Overall Show Horse Ruby Hooper: Int. Working Hunter 65cm – 3rd Overall Show Jumping Lucy Doolin: Int. 90cm – 5th Overall Hayley Richter: Int. 90cm – 15th Overall Addy Gilbert: Sec. 90cm – 9th Overall Geneva Searle: Sec. 100cm – 5th Overall
It was a special day for our Cadets involved in the Toowoomba Grammar School Cadet Unit Annual March Out Parade. Congratulations to our Year 12 students, Brooke Hurford and Kate Lindenmayer, who were presented with the TGS Parents and Friends’ Service to Cadets Awards. Kate was also awarded the MAJ G.E. Ainsbury Award for Best Senior NCO and the Dickinson Trophy for best shot WTSS, while Brooke received the Patron’s Award for Exceptional Dedication of Service to the Unit. Ruby Lucht (Year 8) received the Ron Culliford Memorial Award for Most Promising First Year Cadet and Year 9 student Kate Carrigan was awarded the WO1 Walter John Davies Memorial Shield for Best Second Year Cadet. Well done girls on these exceptional achievements!
