Sharon wrote: “Oliver's obsession with basketball started when he was eight - I spent the subsequent ten years trying to keep up with it and that meant total involvement with his club, the Norths Bears.

The first crop of angry Under 10 opposition dads swearing at our near-perfect Norths refs while I was on bench duty, sent me straight to Norths for some serious training. Never again would anyone be able to abuse our officials if I knew the rules. So I became a fully trained bench bod.

Next came managing the mums who all had starting five offspring, even if the coach couldn't see it. And the dads who always knew more than the coaches anyway. No one else volunteered for this prestigious role so I stuck to it for a decade of teams both club and rep. I do miss the smelly singlet wash at the end of a weekend.

We were privileged at Norths: good facilities, excellent staff and well organised games. I colluded with a coach from the western suburbs to bring some of his players to join some of ours in the local comp.
Neighbourhood businesses sponsored the boys and the stadium lit up with their playing brilliance. Unfortunately half the team was poached by a basketball scout so the Peacock Warriors came to an end.

I was a board member and happy to help out when and if I could.

Thanks in large part to Norths, Oliver was recruited by Emory University in Atlanta, USA - and his basketballing dream came true.”

Sharon has been a member of a number of North’s committees besides the Board, including Marketing and Competitions.

She continues to always offer her assistance whenever it is needed.