South Australia’s own Angus Bugeja was honoured to receive the annual 2023 Graham “Checkers” Stewart MA Official of the Year Award, presented by Motorcycling Australia’s Sam Redfern last Saturday, the 13th of January, at Gillman Speedway. A well-deserving Angus joins the esteemed recipients of the prestigious award for his continuous, tireless volunteer official duties.
The highly regarded award honours the late Graham Stewart, affectionately known as ‘Checkers,’ who was a key figure in motorcycle sport in Australia. He made significant contributions, showcasing his skilled Flag Marshal abilities at events such as the Australian MotoGP, FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) rounds, three Australian Speedway Grand Prix events, the Supercross (SX) Open, and the AUS-X Open.
At just 30 years old, Angus’s impressive portfolio includes level 4 accreditation as a Referee, Timekeeper, Marshal, Judge, and Clerk of Course, as well as being a level 3 Race Secretary and level 2 Scrutineer.
On top of his role as a full-time educator, Angus was the Referee for the 2024 Australian Speedway Championship and has continually demonstrated the below attributes to meet the criteria to receive the Motorcycling Australia award:
- Integrity;
- Dedication and commitment to the sport over a period of time;
- The skills and knowledge in their chosen field;
- Is respected and highly regarded by their peers;
- Has the ability to impart knowledge and mentor people;
- Has fulfilled a level of excellence in their duties and
- Has officiated at a national level.
Angus said, “This was a huge surprise and an incredible honour to receive this high award.”
Motorcycling South Australia would like to extend a huge congratulations to Angus for this achievement.
If you are interested in starting your Officials journey and following in the footsteps of Angus, Motorcycling SA holds regular Level 1 Key Officials Seminars. For dates of upcoming seminars and information on officiating in the sport of Motorcycling, head to the Officials Page on the Motorcycling SA website.