“We see each other at Christmas time, birthday time and Pan Pacs time. It’s our time to get together as a family.”
– Volleyball player Peter Marr explains his love of a reunion
“We find that when we come over, if we have ‘New Zealand’ on our backs, every Aussie team wants to beat us – it’s like bragging rights.”
– Fossils softballer Kiwi David Field feels like a moving target
“Everyone is so nice and able to have a laugh at themselves, whether it be over a silly serve or a missed return – it is all a lot of fun.”
– New Zealand beach volleyball player Jo Waller loves an on-court chuckle
“The train engineer was quite nervous because where I was positioned between the rails, he couldn’t see me.”
– Track and field competitor Grant Edwards reflects on pulling a 201-tonne steam locomotive as a World’s Strongest Man contestant
“Friends back at Newcastle have been coming here since 2002 and they kept telling me I needed to come but I was never old enough until now.”
– Dunrooten United footballer and Pan Pacs debutante Chris Ackland comes of age
“As a kid I just hated running – it just wasn’t my thing. The only time I ran was when I was running away from trouble.”
– Tallai middle distance and cross country runner and double lower arm amputee Garry Rogers explains that running wasn’t always his ‘thing’
“We weren’t really thinking at the time of being on TV or having television coverage, we just played the game because it was something we enjoyed doing every weekend.”
– 1970s NBL basketballer Len Solman reckons the fame game was never for him
“I love coming away with this group of amazing women. We can’t wait to drink champagne on the beach and do some shopping.”
– Wonder Women netball player Mel Runciman reveals her true motivations
“I decided to start competing in the fitness challenge because it has made me stronger and the community aspect is great because you’ve got people cheering you on who don’t even know who you are.”
– Palm Beach super woman Jodie Ffewkes doesn’t mind the fame game at all
“Bowling has given me back my life. It has allowed me to regain my freedom and independence.”
– Vision impaired tenpin bowler Marie Ryan bounces back from a serious car accident
“I love the reflexes, the quickness of the game, the sound of the ball – I just love it!”
– Table tennis player Trevor King explains the principles of hand-ear coordination
“The trick is you can’t have anything else going through your mind – you just have to focus totally on where you want to hit.”
– Nonchalant archer Gary Ward explains emptying the brain before freakishly splitting an opponent’s bullseye arrow to score a ‘Robin Hood’
“Sport has always been a part of our family – our eldest son played baseball for Australia for over 10 years, our other son plays cricket and does rowing, and our daughter is the CEO of Softball Queensland.”
– 87-year-old indoor rower Beryl Home, wife of 93-year-old indoor rower and Pan Pacs oldest participant Vince, reveals the sporting dynasty their 69-year-strong union has created
“I live 600 kilometers away from the beach and haven’t been able to train on the sand, so I’ve been asking some of the young blokes for tips.”
– Kalgoorlie beach mile runner Daniel Sheehan bemoans a serious training hurdle
“The beauty of the fitness challenge is that it is not elite. You cheer on the person coming first all the way to last. Every achievement is different but all get the same celebration.”
– Team Sibling Rivalry fitness challenger Cherise Walmsley shares the love at her events
“We want a hat with drink holders and a long straw so there will be no player substitutions required during matches. But we won’t be saying what beverage will be going in there.”
– Bitzers hockey player Lisa Boulton describes her team’s preferred and ultimately practical headgear for the 2020 Pan Pacs
“I do a lot of talking on the court and I have a chat to them and pat them on the bum and ask them to get on with it, and I tell them to just be good boys.”
– Veteran basketball referee Tony Newsome explains his on-court parenting technique
“We have already seen teams getting behind them by rummaging through their garages for equipment to pass on.”
– Hockey convener Kathy Devitt talks about the great response to an appeal for hockey equipment donations for PNG junior players inspired by the White Orchids hockey team
“I started with throwing way back at high school but because I was working full time on the farm, I had a gap of 50 years.”
– Gunnedah farmer Ken Crawford explains his half century hiatus from athletics throwing events
“I usually have to compete against young riders who have been taught by a trainer on a good horse, when most people my age have trained themselves on an old, cheap horse.”
– Retired dentist and equestrian rider Peter Ewing doesn’t look a gift horse in the mouth
“Judo is more than just a sport – it’s a way of life.”
– Judoka exponent Paul Nelson on life as he knows it
“In Ethiopia, taekwondo isn’t really developed so I decided to come to the masters games to expand my skills and knowledge.”
– African taekwondo journeyman Henok Redo proves that a 12,000km distance is nothing to a true student of the sport
“A good thing about the Pan Pacs is it’s like being with family and new friendships are formed every time.”
– Tenpin bowling Hall of Fame inductee Danny ‘Speed Bump’ Simpson shares why he keeps coming back
“I’m seeded last but I reckon if I give it a crack I might be able to play like I did 30 years ago.”
– Last minute squash entrant Warren Bray channels his youth to defy his seeding
“I love coming here to compete at the Pan Pacific Masters Games because I’m not defined by my age – I am just one of the competitors regardless of being 91.”
– World record setter Heather Lee believes age is not a factor in her race walking
“We’ll be back”
– 93-year-old swimmer Don Robertson channels The Terminator as he alludes to reuniting his 360-399 age division relay team with China Johnson, Patricia Wornall and Marion Beulke in swimming for a title defence in 2020
