Olympian couple Lewis Holland and Charlotte Caslick visited Braidwood last week to thank the many local supporters of their quest for gold at the 2016 Olympic Games.
The couple visited Braidwood Central School and St Bede’s Primary, both of which Lewis attended before finishing at St Edmund’s College in Canberra. Charlotte is from Brisbane in Queensland, and they now live together in Sydney.
Lewis told the Times that he had ‘2622’ on his suitcase in Rio. He told the students how he had always lived in Braidwood for his schooling, even when he was away training.
There were plenty of giggles as a school photo of a very young bespectacled Lewis Holland was projected onto the screen.
The students were able to ask lots of questions of the couple before Charlotte finally produced the gold medal that had been stuffed in her pocket.
Charlotte was a standout performer in the Australian women’s sevens gold medal win. Lewis, unfortunately, had been injured in the second game of the rugby sevens competition, and Australia was left out of the medals.
The pair talked about their pathways into the sport. Lewis had played first for the Redbacks, St Edmund’s and the Queanbeyan Whites. Charlotte had been a hockey player as well as playing touch football, and was asked to attend a training camp for rugby sevens just four years ago.
The rest is sporting history.
