FACES OF AYWPC | STEFF JELIC (NSW)

Referee Steff Jelic has made a pleasing return to the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships (AYWPC), after missing last year’s event due to breast cancer treatments. 

A familiar face around the pool deck, Jelic was diagnosed in December 2021 with breast cancer, which saw her miss refereeing some of her favourite events, such as the AYWPC.

But after going through extensive treatments, Jelic is back doing what she loves and is one of 36 referees involved at the 2023 AYWPC. 

Outside of her immediate family, Jelic admits it's her water polo ‘family’ that helped her through the tough, tough times. 

“December 2021 I saw a lump on my breast, and acted on it really quickly, and two days before Christmas I was having my first chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. 

“Come January, I was going into my second and third round of treatment and just couldn't participate in the Summer Slam and around the time of the 2022 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships I was about to have surgery and radiation was about to start. 

“But water polo really helped me through my journey. I still played socially with the Sydney Stingers through chemo just to keep me from going insane. It’s been awful, but I’ve come back from it and it’s really nice to be able to be back on the pool deck. 

“Outside of my immediate family, it was my water polo community that has been so supportive of the journey. The outpouring of support once people knew, you can’t say anything more about it, it was amazing,” she said. 

There is no surprise that Steff’s water polo community wanted to rally around her, given her long standing association with the sport. 

“I started playing in Year 7 at school, and one of the seniors found out I could swim and asked if I wanted to start playing water polo. 

“I went to the first training session, and I wasn’t too bad so they asked me to start playing club water polo. I grew up playing Parramatta Juniors in Sydney and have just gone from there…this is year 23 and I haven’t looked back.

“It’s just different [water polo], and I think that’s one of the things I love the most. It’s different to every other sport in Australia, and I think that’s what makes it really special. 

“And as I’ve gotten older, it’s the community, it’s the connections and it’s the friendships that have kept me involved,” she said. 

Her passion for the sport had never waivered, and when two of her Club referees were about to head on holidays and needed to find a replacement, they couldn’t look past an enthusiastic Jelic. Since she first picked up the whistle, she’s never looked back, watching the sport grow.

“They said I had the best understanding of the rules, and asked if I’d pick up the whistle. That was kind of my jump into it and then I realised it wasn’t too bad and went from there. I really enjoyed it, seeing the sport from a different side.

“I look at these kids, and think I started playing before most of them were even born. I think it’s great to see that the sport is growing, and with the support of big cities like Perth and Brisbane to be able to hold events like the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships. I think it’s really important to bring everyone together,” she said. 

Still a young person herself, Jelic’s cancer diagnosis came as a surprise, and one that she wants people to know about so they too can be mindful. 

“I don’t have a history of breast cancer in my family, I am now the family history. I was 33 when I was diagnosed, and people under 40 don’t have access to the resources and annual scanning like mammograms, so it’s important to be aware of your body and recognise changes.

“Going through this journey I’ve found a bit of a purpose, to make people aware. The girls here at this tournament are at a pivotal point of their life where the conversations need to start…their bodies are changing, and they're going through all those physical changes so they just need to be aware.

“I’m also happy to have a chat about my journey, people can come and find me on pool deck…I’ll have a whistle around my neck,” she said. 

So Brave is Australia’s Only Young Women’s Breast Cancer Charity. Highlighting the unique and unmet needs of Australia's young women, founded by young breast cancer survivor, Rachelle Panitz. Their mission is to Champion and Impact. 

So Brave ARE changing the conversation for breast cancer and young women in Australia.  This is an undeniable fact, and something that they continue to advocate for with the medical community and government alike.