Laurie Keaton to receive Sport NSW Distinguished Service Award

26 May 2022

Laurie Keaton to receive Sport NSW Distinguished Service Award

For 58 years Laurie Keaton has been a key official and administrator for athletics in NSW and the ACT and this enormous service will be recognised on June 30 at the prestigious Sport NSW Community Awards where he will receive a Distinguished Long Service Award.

Laurie’s service commenced in 1964 in the schools, where he was involved with Lennox Zone. He would hold many positions, including Convenor and Manager for zones and championships. From 1970 he was on the NSW Schools Liaison Committee.

From the early ‘70s until well into the ‘80s he was regularly the CHS Convenor, a critical position which organises the CHS Athletics carnival, while still maintaining a role as a teacher. In 1976 his teaching career took him to Nowra where he was a member of the club, competed as an athlete and coached. 

His first major appointment was as Track Umpire for the 1982 Commonwealth Games. He would go onto officiate at three Games, Melbourne in 2006 (Assistant Referee) and 2018 Gold Coast (Secretary of the Jury). What an achievement it would be if he was appointed for a fourth Games (2026).

In 1988 his teaching took him to Canberra where he continued to officiate in NSW and ACT. His first global meet appointment was the 1996 World Junior Championships in Sydney as Assistant Chief Track Umpire.

The next few years were busy for Laurie, he passed the exam to become an Area Technical Official Level 2 and of course officiated at the Sydney Olympics (Assistant Chief Track Umpire) and Paralympic Games (Assistant Track Referee). He was also awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.

Over the next two decades he was appointed to the 2006 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. He also played key roles off the track, mentoring younger officials, as an examiner and educator. 

His service has been recognized with Life Member of CHS, Athletics NSW and Athletics Australia.
To this day, he continues to officiate at all levels and educate formally and casually officials in NSW and around Australia.

Thank you Laurie for nearly six decades of service and congratulations of the well deserved recognition by Sport NSW.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Laurie Keaton (image courtesy of David Tarbotton)