The nominees for the Gloucester Sports Awards Hall of Fame are:
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Bruce Snape’s had 54 years of continuous active participation in hockey, beginning in 1963 when junior hockey first commenced in Gloucester. As a 14-year-old, he played in Gloucester’s senior B-grade team, moving up to the A-grade team the following year. In 1966 Bruce was selected in the NSW under 16 squad touring northern NSW and Queensland. He was the top goal scorer on tour.
Among his many achievements, he played A-grade for the Gloucester Panthers from 1965 to 1976 in the Manning Valley competition where they contested the grand final each season and were premiership winners on seven occasions.
Bruce added veterans hockey (now called Masters) to his activities in 1991, went on to represent NSW in the Australian Championships for 21 years and has played in over 70 international matches. He was named Gloucester District Sports Committee’s Sportsperson of the Year for his contributions to hockey in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Erik “Laurie” Grant started rodeoing in 1980 at 21, competing in the Manning, Hunter and New England districts. He became seriously involved in rodeo in 1985, travelling further afield to compete and earn points qualifying him to enter the National Rodeo finals. He usually rode in the bareback events, but would compete in the bull ride to pick up extra points.
At 29, Laurie was named national all-round rookie and all-round cowboy at the National Finals held in Walcha; based on his performances during 1987. Laurie represented NSW in the bareback event at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 1998, 1990 and 1991.
In 1988 and 1991, Laurie was selected in the Australian rodeo team to compete at the World Finals Rodeo in El Paso, Texas.
With no sponsorship for the World Finals, competitors relied on fundraising to get them there. Laurie received support from Poley and Rose Everett who hosted a hoedown on his behalf. Many Gloucester businesses and the community provided support through raffles.