Josh Simmonds

“Yarra allowed me to pursue my sport and taught me resilience.”

When Josh Simmonds stepped onto the hockey field at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, his life had moved on considerably from his days at Yarra Valley Grammar.

Josh left the Olympics with a silver medal but his sporting achievements began on the fields at the School.

“I remember in Grade 4 during Friday afternoon sport we could pick a sport that we wanted to try, and a friend and I saw a bin filled with hockey sticks. We started playing on the old tennis courts – I’d never picked up a stick before that,” Josh says.

The School hockey coach soon spotted his potential and looped Josh into Doncaster Hockey Club. In Year 7 he also began playing in the Firsts hockey team.

“It was cool as a Year 7 to walk down a corridor and know the older boys – it gave you bragging rights!” says Josh.

“I was lucky that as my hockey progressed, I had training and tournaments and my teachers supported me to pursue that. I also learned resilience at Yarra. Non-selection and injuries are a natural part of a high-performance environment and that resilience has helped me deal with down moments.”

In 2016 Josh represented Australia at the Junior World Cup and in 2019 was named in the prestigious Kookaburras squad. Then came Olympic selection.

“It sunk in during the first game against Japan when I was sitting in the changing room with my top on bearing the Olympic rings and Australian crest. That first game was something special – I will be an Olympian for life,” he says.

Key to Josh’s achievements on the hockey field has been family support.

“I missed out on an under-16 team and thought it was the end of the world. Dad told me that if I wanted to go to the next level, I had to be the best I could be and I couldn’t not be picked. It flicked a switch. I did extra skills and fitness sessions and the next year I breezed into the state team. Dad’s advice still motivates me and my family’s support has been invaluable – they’ve been through every high and low with me,” he says.

Yarra still holds an important place in Josh’s heart and mind – from making a pinball machine in Year 8 Woodwork to hanging out with friends at recess on the seats near the Patterson Oval. He also fondly recalls one of his teachers who left a lasting impression.

“I think Bryan Harper helped me the most and instilled in me so many values that I use in my sport today. He was always available and he understood elite sport. He told me that to master a skill – no matter what it is – you have to practice it for 7,000 hours. That’s a piece of advice I still follow today.”