The annual Blues and Golds Awards were held at the Business School last Wednesday, September 25th. The event, jointly hosted by Otago Uni and OUSA, has been going since 1908 and celebrates sporting and cultural successes at the Uni.
Grant Robertson spoke and presented nine awards, five Silver Service awards, 39 Blues and three Golds alongside the event’s MC, OUSA President Keegan Wells. Who knew there could be anything more physically challenging than a 4-drink funnel?
Hockey took the lion’s share of applause at the annual OUSA Blues and Golds Awards, after Black Stick Benji Culhane was named Sportsperson of the Year at the Uni. Highly commended in this category was underwater hockey player Jake Corney, who received a Blue, alongside 10 others who also played a sport with ‘hockey’ in the title.
At the ‘business casual’ event (something the trackie-wearing Critic didn’t get the memo on) attendees were welcomed with a few rousing renditions of Ko Te Whirika before being blessed with a karakia. MC Keegan then tried to make a few jokes before welcoming guest speaker Grant Robertson to the stage. A slightly tense audience then settled after the awards started and claps could be had.
Following the awarding of the Blues and Golds there was a thirty-minute interval where attendees could get some grub. There sadly weren’t sliced oranges, but there were mini pies. The event went off without a hitch – aside from the fact that “there were no knives for me to cut the cheese,” according to Clubs and Socs Rep Emma.
OUSA’s very own Tara Shepard received an award for being an ‘Outstanding Member of the University of Otago Community’, while Kai Hiroti was the ‘Outstanding Member of the Dunedin Community.’ Clubs and Socs fans will also appreciate that Thursdays in Black won society of the year, while the Indian Students’ Association were the OUSA cultural society of the year. All hail the BNOC’s (Big Names on Campus).
Speaking to the successes seen on the night, OUSA Clubs and Socs Rep Emma Jackson told Critic, “I loved it. The atmosphere of the awards ceremony was really beautiful. It’s a great opportunity for people to be recognised for the amazing things that they do, especially as these people are ping-ponging between study and their sandwich of commitments […] I’m super proud of all the individuals and the clubs for getting recognised for what they do."