Community
23 August, 2024
A green and gold homecoming
THE town of Camperdown was abuzz with excitement last Friday night as residents welcomed Olympic bronze medalist Penny Smith home from Paris.
The Commercial Hotel’s courtyard was packed as residents met with Ms Smith and learned more about her time in Paris and her sport.
Ms Smith’s mother Kim Smith said the town was “absolutely fabulous” in its support for the Olympian.
“It’s supported her all the way, and it’s been absolutely great,” she said.
“You couldn’t ask for it to be better. It’s brought the community together.
“I think that people have supported magnificently.
“I’d like to thank the community for what they’ve done and for the hotel for putting on this night. It couldn’t be better.”
Mrs Smith also praised the other shows of support from within the community, including the Clocktower and Courthouse being lit up in green and gold and the stickers installed on shopfronts last week.
Michael Smith, Ms Smith’s father, said the family was “very pleased” for her and all the work she had put into her training.
“She’s put in an enormous amount of training over a long period of time, which it takes, and to put that training into competition takes an enormous amount of effort,” he said.
“We’re amazed and pleased with the excitement that the town has got out of it.
“It’s not only our family that’s getting enjoyment out of this – it’s the whole town, community and district.
“I think these sort of things give a huge shot in the arm to the community, and I see tonight that in actual fact the town of Camperdown came 60th in the world tally of medals.”
Mr Smith said the celebration was “a testament to the community” and allowed the community to come together to celebrate.
The night included opportunities for residents to speak with Ms Smith and get photos with her, ask questions about the Paris Olympics, and receive a signed sticker from Ms Smith.
Venue manager Donna Conheady said the visitor book which was passed around over the course of the night was Mrs Smith’s idea, providing a more permanent reminder of Ms Smith’s achievements.
“Nights like this tend to go so fast, and it can be a bit busy and hard to catch up with everyone or remember everything and remember everyone,” she said.
“Kim just wanted a memento for Penny to keep as a lovely reminder of the people that made the effort to welcome her home.
“It’s been fantastic – we’re really excited with the people with the number of people that have come and supported Penny, and she certainly got a lovely homecoming that she deserves.
“It was great – very emotional. As soon as Penny walked in, I burst into tears and she said, “don’t you cry because I’m going to cry”.”
Ms Smith, along with fellow Olympian and gold medalist Grace Brown, now join the Olympic history of Camperdown, which includes Bill, Barry and Clarke Roycroft; Josh Hose; James Marburg; Cameron Rahles-Rahbula; Kevin Bradshaw; and Clyde Sefton, who was in attendance on the night.
Mrs Conheady said a lot of work had gone into making the night a success, and she was grateful to all those who contributed.
“The bar out here has been closed for the last two years, so there was a lot of work that went into getting it reopened,” she said.
“All the electrical and plumbing work sat idle for a bit.
“We organised some supper and everything, which was from head office – they wanted to support Penny and show their appreciation of Penny as an employee with the company and put on a supper to welcome everyone here and to thank Penny for her work and to acknowledge her achievement.
“I’d just like to thank my staff, who have put a lot of time and effort into helping us get tonight planned and making themselves available.
“In saying that, they certainly wanted to get in and help because we all love Penny and she’s part of our team.”
Mr Sign’s Peter Conheady conducted an interview with Ms Smith on the night, providing an insight into how the Olympics worked behind the scenes for athletes.
Attendees were then able to ask questions about Ms Smith’s sport and the Olympics in general.
Mrs Conheady said the interview went well and provided a “wonderful” insight into the Olympics.
“The rollercoaster, the highs and the lows, the dramas that they face at an international level, the politics, and just how cutthroat the competition is” she said.
“It was a wonderful insight into her experience.
“I’d just like to thank the community for supporting our event and supporting the hotel.
“It’s been lovely having such a crowd in here tonight.”
Ms Smith said the support shown by the community was “absolutely fantastic”, and she enjoyed walking down the street and seeing the stickers on the store windows.
“It’s been wonderful to have the community to come out and support me and also Grace Brown as well,” she said.
“I love the Olympics, and obviously my bronze medal is probably the most special thing from the Olympic Games.
“Thanks to the Commercial, Donna, Mel, the Black Rhino – it certainly means a lot.
“Thanks to the community, thanks to my family, and the pub – it all means a lot.”
Read More: Camperdown