This issue of ‘Where are they now?’ focuses on four unique athletes who collectively achieved almost everything possible in the sports of water polo and netball, and are now part of the same extended family — Mark and Paul Oberman, Sue Kenny OAM and Jenni Urquhart.

Brothers Mark and Paul Oberman played integral roles in the most successful era of Australian men’s water polo to date. Mark was a national team member from 1985 to 2000 and played a total of 392 games for Australia (the fifth highest of any player). Paul was a national team member from 1989 to 2000.

Mark and Paul competed together at two junior world championships and three world championships, and as members of the teams that won a bronze medal at the 1993 FINA World Cup, finished fourth at the 1998 world championships, and came fifth at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Mark was also on the Sydney 2000 Olympic team.

Both Oberman brothers began their water polo careers with scholarships at the AIS (Mark: 1986–2000, Paul: 1987–2000) and it was in Canberra that they met their future wives, netballers Sue Kenny and Jenni Urquhart.

Sue held an AIS scholarship from 1984–86 and while at the AIS she gained selection for the 1985 21-and-under world championships, and then went on to become a member of the Australian senior team from 1986–94. She competed at the 1987 World Netball Championships, and helped Australia win both the 1991 world championships and the 1993 World Games. Sue was awarded an Order of Australia in 1992.

Jenni Urquhart held an AIS netball scholarship from 1989–91. As a 21-and-under player she represented both New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory at national open championships, and played in the National Netball League for four years.

After retiring from their sports, both couples relocated to the Oberman’s hometown of Perth to raise families and start new careers. Mark has practised as a physiotherapist for 13 years and, since 2005, has operated the Kalamunda Physio Centre.

Sue worked as an AIS Netball scholarship coach in 1997 and now balances her job as a primary school physical education teacher with the roles of assistant coach and national selector for the Australian senior netball team.

Paul, who completed a Bachelor of Education while at the AIS, worked as a primary school teacher in the Australian Capital Territory and Perth before moving briefly to Singapore, where he worked as director of water polo coaching for the Singapore Swimming Association. He is now head coach of water polo at the Western Australian Institute of Sport.

While in Singapore, Jenni started working for KBR, a major engineering, construction and services company, a firm she continues to work for in Perth, as a project manager.