LA TROBE UNIVERSITY

TOWNSVILLE 1989

TEAMS (in no particular order)

Men

Geoff Brown, Mark Collins, Mark Batros, Gordon Spinks, Neil Roschier, Miz Brmbota,Jason Baragry, Nick Cohen, Al Derham, Grant Hargreaves 

Women

Jo Leffanue, Sharon Welsh, Belinda Hopcroft, Vicki McStravick, Donna Brasher, Selena Douglas, Jane Pitt, Narelle Peake, Sue Pratt

Fornos

Sue Higgs, Jo Kennedy

 

MY TOWNSVILLE 1989 RECOLLECTION - By Narelle "Nelson" Peake

September 1989 was in the midst of the airline strike. Flights were difficult to secure. That didn't deter the Trobers from finding their way to Townsville via Hercules Jet. A small band of adventurers went on a reconnaissance mission the previous week arriving in Townsville via minibus. The leaders of this minibus (Batros, Spinks, Higgs and Kennedy) successfully managed to corrupt one poor innocent previously non beer drinking 19 year old on her first IV mission. This particular person shall remain nameless.

Accomodation at Townsville was first class. Memories of the cockroaches, cane toads and glamorous managers remain today. It was perfect for us. General consensus from the group was that Townsville was OK except for the big turd rock.

So the games began, and the basketball. The men had a thrilling victory in the boat races, anchored brilliantly by first year bull frog, Otis, and coached by Donna B. Jas demonstrated exceptional talent in exterior design specialising in minibuses. Belinda Buns Hopcroft took exception to the JCU boys watermelon skull and promptly grabbed the watermelon and stomped on it. Everyone became familiar with the sophisticated game of "Up Your Neighbour". A day trip to Magnetic island, with avoidance of the pool and spa as the Monash and JCU boys were in it. Needless to say what colour it was. Jo L lost her voice on the first day. The men's team won some games and the women's team coached by Mark Collins made the final.

In the final the chicks were up against red hot favourites, JCU. The girls got off to  a ripper start before the refs called a number of vicious hacking fouls, which obviously weren't there, on half the team. Most of our team got fouled out meaning JCU were able to catch up. The scores were tied with seconds to go and La Trobe had possession. "Brasher passes it to Peake... who is in the car park.. and she banks it for a 3 on the buzzer"!!!. Chicks win. The crowd goes crazy. Or that's the way I remember it. The rest of the night was rather a blur.

Obviously it was the best IV ever. If I had 5 cents for every rendition of 'We're a dirty pack of Bastards' sung in Townsville I would be rich. And it certainly got a lot of the newcomers such as myself hooked on IVs and LaTrobe Basketball.