History
Written in 2002
INTRODUCTION
Brown Hill Netball Club is the oldest netball club in the Ballarat Netball Association. The club has a long and proud history dating back to 1954. The idea for documenting the history of the club was born out of a sense of appreciation to the many past and present players and their families. These are the people who contributed over many years to the success and continuation of the club. There was also the sad realisation that due to incomplete records and fading memories much of the history could be lost forever.
This history has been compiled mainly from the memories and recollections of past players. Ballarat Netball Association records and our own limited club records were also used but were unfortunately incomplete and of varying standards. The earliest records date back to about 1968 which was 14 years after the club was founded. Many hours have been spent searching through old photos, tracking down past players and prompting everyone with "remember when…?".
I hope the document will bring back memories of some fun and happy times for the past players and give more recent players an understanding of the history and a sense of the Club spirit that has endured through the changing times of Netball.
Hopefully this document will find its way to members or friends of the club who can add to (or correct details about) the history. I would welcome a call from anyone with additions to the players list or personal memories of their netball days. Please contact me at the address or telephone number below. With the 50th Anniversary Celebration only a few more years away (2004) it would be great to be able to compile a more complete history for that time.
Thank you to the many people who have contributed their time and memories for this history. A special thank you to Kerrie Murphy, Trish Boyle and Wendy Burge, whose assistance allowed this document to be produced.
Raylene Reese
Ph: (03) 5330 1620
THE EARLY YEARS
1950's
On 3/12/53 the Ballarat and District Sunday School Union decided to run a Saturday morning basketball competition for girls about 15 years and younger. On 4/2/54 a Junior Basketball Association was formed and in May that year the first games of the winter competition were played. Brown Hill Methodist Church teams were amongst those original teams to play. Teams were all ‘church-based’ and some of the early teams were Barkly St, Urquhart St and Burnbank St. Teams played a ‘home and away’ season with Brown Hill’s home games being played at Brown Hill State School No. 35 in Thompson St, Brown Hill (now the current site of Caledonian Primary School). Orange quarters were provided for the visiting team at half time.
Around 1956 a group of ladies from the church decided to form a team to play in the Saturday afternoon competition- Ballarat Ladies Basketball Association. (They probably heard how much fun the younger girls were having and wanted to try it for themselves. Under coach Syd Robinson, these ladies quickly established themselves as ‘a force’. Team member included Syd’s daughter, Barbara Robinson, Lois Ralston, Betty Bunting, Joan Thurling, Merle Wombell, Noella Antonio, and Margaret Atkins. These senior players had to ride their bikes to attend their home and away matches, often very long distances.
1960's
A few years down the track and Brown Hill had become one of the teams to beat. They won a C Grade premiership in 1961. The team, previously coached by Thelma Rinaldi , and now lead by captain-coach Helen Norman, went on to win the A Grade final in 1963. The team included Allison Dorrington, her sister Joy Dorrington, Kaye Turner, Carol Page and Margaret Atkins. These ladies beat a team from Teacher’s College (who had lots of very fit players) to take out the final. Barkly St had a strong team as well.
UNIFORMS
Uniforms have changed dramatically over the years. The early photos indicate that shifts or tunic style uniforms were the accepted practice in the 50s through to the late 70s. These were almost exclusively worn with long sleeved skivvies (presumably to protect modest young women and girls from the severe weather conditions).
Footwear was exclusively white. The final touch was the large bloomers. There is some uncertainty as to whether bloomers were actually worn in the very early times but they soon became an essential part of every self-respecting player’s wardrobe.
The club colors have varied considerable over the years with pastels featuring in the earlier years followed by a move to the more striking red/white and red/black combinations later.
Saddlebacks or bibs were introduced around 197? The bibs were not generally available from sporting stores so were usually hand made by the mums. They were either elasticised at the base or had ties at the side. The early photos indicate the letters were sometimes crooked and often the sizes varied within a set. We have definitely seen improvements in this area.
The juniors wore white skivvies under light blue and white gingham shifts. The shifts had a dropped waist with a box pleated skirt. The seniors had a similar style but in apricot/white gingham. The white runners were starting to be overtaken by the new wave gym boots.
The seniors cast off the apricot in favor of a straight red shift over a white skivvie. Red bloomers peaked out from under the shifts.
198? Skirts were first introduced into the club this year with red wrap-around skirts (home made) accompanied by black t-shirts. Socks were black to match the new wave black Dunlop netball runners. The bloomers were replaced by the Lycra black sports shorts.
198? The black and red combination was retained but the colors were reversed. Red Adidas t-shirts were teamed up with black pencil pleated skirts.
199? The tops were replaced with a red t-shirt with white trims and collars.
Today’s uniform combines an attractive sleeveless red top with white collars and trims with the black pencil pleated skirt. The fabrics are definitely a huge improvement on the stiff fabrics of many years ago.
It is interesting to reflect on how the original players might view the current uniforms which are made of lightweight fabrics which allow for unrestricted movement.
PREMIERSHIP SUCCESSES
The club has had more than its fair share of success thanks largely to the time and effort put in by the coaches and the commitment of players. While netball has always been a fun way to maintain fitness and social contact with friends, no-one could deny the keen competitive spirit that has always been there. The determination has seen the club notch up the following premierships:
(EXAMPLES ONLY)
Year, Grade, Opponents,Coach(es),Score
1998, A Grade, Dela, Sue Purves, 38-33
1970, F (u/12),Burnbank St, Dot McGregor and Molly Worrall,8-7
UMPIRES
The following club members have been awarded umpires badges:
AA - Sue Purves
A - Raylene Reese
B - Allison Lewis, Wendy Burge, Kerrie Murphy, Lynn Lockett
C - Heather Gilbert, Trish Boyle, Debbie Hill, Nicki Purves, Monica Leahy, Kathryn Leahy
Junior Umpires Badge – Simone Leahy, Louise McCartin.
INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS
Although netball is widely regarded as a team sport, occasionally the efforts of individuals are recognised. The following awards have been bestowed upon these Brown Hill players
Christine Johnson – 1972 Brown Hill Best and Fairest E Grade
Sandra Nicholson - 1972 Brown Hill Best and Fairest D Grade
Margaret Walker - 1972 Brown Hill Best and Fairest C Grade
The following votes were recorded:
Margaret Walker - 22
Peta Golley - 16
Debbie Norman - 14
Sue Green - 9
Rhonda Norman - 5
Wendy Nicholson – 1983 Runner-up BNA A grade B and F. Saturday Winter comp.
Rebecca Jackson - 1988 and 1989 Vic U’19 State Team
Trish Boyle - 1990 FC Johns Most Valuable Centre Court Player
Thursday night comp.
Josie Fitzpatick - 1991 FC Johns Most Valuable Goal Shooter
Michelle Haby - 1991 FC Johns Most Valuable Defender
Michelle Haby and Michelle Brady - 1993 Victorian Country Open representative
Kirsty Turner - 1996 and 1997 Final 20 in Under 17 State Team and member State Catholic Schoolgirls team
Rebecca Skinner - 1997 Part-time scholarship holder Victorian Institue of Sport. 1998 Played Div 1 State League for Gippsland, MVP.U’19 Country Cup, final 50 Under 19 State team, has just been awarded a full-time scholarship to VIS for 1999.
Heather Gilbert- 1996 Most Valuable Player FC Johns Premier League.
Monica Leahy - 1998 Most Valuable Player Laffey Shield Premier Reserve
SISTERS/FAMILIES
In the early years of the club it was common to have many sisters at the club. Families were much larger in the 1960s and 70s and many families were represented by three or more sisters. Brown Hill has had many examples including:
Chibnall - Carolyn, Catherine and Sarah
Cracknell - Sue, Merryn, Vicki and Peta
Leahy - Simone, Kathryn and Monica
Green - Sue, Vicki, Karen and Michelle
Jeffrey - Sue, Faye and Jan
Maika - Catherine, Jamie and Phillipa
Nicholson - Sandy, Raylene, Wendy and Karen
Norman - Debbie, Rhonda and Kim. (The girl’s dad Charlie Norman also coached teams for several years during the 1970s.)
Thurling - Cheryl, Diane and Vicki
Turner - Briony, Kirsty and Ebony
More recently, the club has seen many mother/daughter combinations:
Barbara (Robinson) and Joanne , Andrea
Cunningham Sue (Green) and Carli
Gilbert Heather (Adderly), Casey andMeg
Lockett Lynn (Gilmour) and Shenay
Purves Sue and Nicole
McLean Sally (Atkinson) and Courtney
Hill Debbie and Laurel
East Donna and Marissa , Sharna
Gerick Liz and Jacqui
McCartin Annie, Stacey, Louise and Gina
We hope to see this trend continuing as many of the members return to the club after having their own children and then introduce their daughters to the junior grades.
Style of Play
Who Umpired/Scored
Each team supplied an umpire (usually the mums)
Positions - Attack Wing, first goalie/second goalie etc.)
Outside tournaments - Country weekends, Mildura trips
PLAYER ANECDOTES AND MEMORIES
Wendy Burge (1969-1984)
My father always told us that we should dress like champions whether we were winning or losing. To me this meant laying out my uniform and always cleaning my white runners on the Friday night before a big game. I would get out the “white cleaner” and always have them looking their best. We seemed to always play in the rain back then and I would leave little white spots on the court as the white cleaner washed away in the rain. I laugh now when I look back on a photo taken just after Brown Hill Primary School won the interschool championship in 1973. The team is wet from the rain, our uniforms are probably all the wrong size our smiles are wide and I have never felt more like a champion than that day. My earliest netball memory was being out on the court at Brown Hill Primary School during playtime (recess) with Vicky Thurling teaching me how to bounce pass. Vicky was grade four and I would have been grade two.
There was a big difference between the quality of the netball courts now and what they used to be before Llandberris. At Brown Hill Primary School the goal ring at the Thompson Street end was really solid and had a thick edge. At the other end it was thin and if the ball hit the edge of the ring it was more likely to bounce off than go through. That was over thirty years ago. It is still the same today!
I remember having to arrive well before the game started because each team was responsible for getting one goal ring from the equipment shed. It would usually take at least five of us to be able to carry it. (we would have only been about 10 years old). We would carefully mount it into the hole and all jump back as the pole slid in and the muddy water would splash up. Anyone who got too close would have to play in muddy wet socks.
When I first started playing, there were always orange quarters eaten at half time. I remember playing in F grade (under 12) in 1972. We wore blue and white gingham shifts with dropped waists and pleated skirts over white skivvies. We had just scrapped into the finals and no one expected us to get past the first final. We managed to win our way into the grandfinal and beat by 8 goals to 7 on the bell. We were jubilant. There we so much laughter and tears and screaming after that win! It was just fantastic!
When I first started playing the games were all played as part of the Church association and we played various clubs like, Skipton Street, Burnbank Street and Zion. It was usually raining, and we always had to arrive early to mount the goalposts. They also had to be put away at the end of the game.
In 198? we won the A grade grandfinal. The perpetual trophy wasn't engraved until the week before the next year's grandfinal. When it was dropped off at the engravers a casual comment was made about him also putting Brown Hill on for the current year too. When the trophy was picked up, Sue Purves was dismayed to see that the engraver had already included us as premiers again. Thankfully we won the grandfinal again.
We wanted to raise money one year to send a team to Mildura for a long weekend competition. We decided to have a lamington drive. We had to make the lamingtons from prebaked cakes and coat them in chocolate and coconut ourselves. We had all the mums and players in a huge shed one night chopping, mixing and dipping. It was a huge effort and we hardly raised any money at all. We had a raffle for a necklace as well and raised heaps more with hardly any effort.
Raylene Reese (1968 –Present)
I am very proud to have been a member of this netball club for over 35 years. Some wonderful memories will always stay with me:
- The thrill of our first grand final win in F Grade (under 12) , when nobody thought we would go close. (The score was 8 – 7 ) Our parents were just as excited as we were.
- Playing in wet, muddy socks because I was too slow to jump back from the resulting rush of muddy water (After mounting the goal posts in the early days at Llanberris.
- Travelling to tournaments as a 15 year old, in the back of Coles’ mini-bus.
- Playing in many victorious teams – from the dominance of Brown Hill throughout the 80’s where we won seven consecutive A grade grand finals, from 1981 to 1987 and then again in 89, 90, and 92. As Saturday comp. ended in the early 90’s and Thursday became the preferred night for competition, the success of the club continued, with many victories in A Grade and then Premier League.
I have been influenced by many people during my netball career. The following coaches have had the biggest impact:
Judy Bodey (late 1970’s):
Judy took us, as a group of young and enthusiastic 15 year olds (who had previously relied on our own ability) and taught us about the finer points of netball. Judy introduced us to the fun of travelling as a team, to tournaments, and I have many fond memories of trips to Bendigo, Melbourne and Mildura.
Sue Purves (early 1980’s):
How fortunate Brown Hill was to have acquired the services of such a wonderful, all-round netballer. An ex-state representative and AA badged umpire, Sue arrived in Ballarat in 1981 and her service to Brown Hill has been outstanding. She played and/or coached the A Grade team in the ‘Golden 80’s’ where we won 7 consecutive finals. She has been the umpire's convenor, has ran coaching and umpire's clinics and has coached Ballarat rep. sides every year since arriving in Ballarat. Sue has been a terrific recruiting officer for the club and her work with our juniors over many years has had a large impact on the success of the club today.
Leonie Otago (late 1980’s):
An ex-state director of coaching in QLD and author of "Aussie Netball" Leonie's on-court performances were not quite as valuable to Brown Hill as the coaching knowledge she passed on to the many Brown Hill players who played in reprensentative sides under her direction. I was in my late 20s when I first came under Leonie's coaching. I suddenly found myself with a renewed enthusiasm for netball, delighting in her challenging training sessions, admiring her perception and her ability to communicate with players. A call from the sidelines of "Don't tap dance on the spot...!" would have me driving off an imaginary witches hat very quickly. Leonie lifted netball in Ballarat to a higher level, as players under her direction would pass new skills and training drills back to their own clubs. Her influence was felt for a long time after she had stopped coaching teams in Ballarat.
Trish Boyle (late 1980’s to present):
I have had the pleasure of playing alongside Trish in many a Brown Hill and rep. side. As a fiesty wing attack/centre player, her passing into the circle has been exceptional. Her encouragement and direction to other players has always been a feature of her play. As a coach and organiser of many Brown Hill teams, Trish’s commitment to Brown Hill over many years has been outstanding. She has a wonderful way of imparting knowledge to players and her ability to read the play is uncanny. I look forward to having Trish back on the court after her third and final (?) baby.
Now, with the best of my netball behind me, these days the highlights of being with Brown Hill are more likely to be the luncheons at Heather Gilbert’s house with the other Brown Hill mums - Heather, Trish Boyle, Lynn Lockett, Sally McLean, Jill Leader and Debbie Hill.
I truly value the many friendships which have developed since playing with Brown Hill. I wish to congratulate every player and friend of the Brown Hill Netball Club who has contributed to the club. Brown Hill has a history of which it can be enormously proud, and with the current people at the helm, can look forward to the future with a great deal of confidence
Sue Cracknell (now MARK)
I can remember playing in an apricot and white gingham drop-waist pinafore with a pleated skirt. As my three other sisters used to play, identifying which uniform belonged to who was sometimes difficult. I remember my mum embroidered our names onto our knickers. Mine had ‘Crackles’ on it.
Kerrie Murphy (1984-Present)
I originally came to Ballarat in 1984 to train as a Physical Education teacher. At Uni my netball lecturer was Sue Purves and so began my netball career with Brown Hill. I played Saturday netball in 1987 when I gave up my weekend job in Melbourne and I played a couple of mid weeknight seasons during this time. I returned last year after an absence of seven years, and other than a few extra babies and some taller kids, it was like deja vu.
I was always involved with Brown Hill and remember coaching seniors and juniors including the Under 12s. At one stage I coached the Under 12 Ballarat Representative team. My philosophy for juniors has always been the score is not important and players should all be getting a chance to learn and have fun. This was always hard to explain to those more competitive parents. (Admittedly I have only seen one of these juniors playing netball at Llanberris but I like to think they have all moved away and are playing netball somewhere else…).
My fondest memories are of the senior players who were around during my first time with Brown Hill (and are nearly all still there!), Coach, Sue, Trish, Heather, Bondie, Michelle, Josie, Leonie, Raylene, Narelle and lots of other fun people who came and went. To be really honest I recall the pub sessions better than I can remember any of the matches. I can remember playing in one Grand Final when I had pneumonia – but that was all in the name of netball. I think it was the same Grand Final that an anonymous person appeared in our after Grand Final photos doing a brown eye – and they weren’t from Brown Hill – and I am still not sure who it was.
A big part of playing with Brown Hill, and winning lots of Grand Finals, was playing with and coaching the Ballarat teams. There are many unforgettable trips such as Mildura,Vanuatu, Country Week and the World Championships in Sydney (when I had to sleep on the floor of the Vanuatu girls’ room on the first night because I couldn’t find coach or the team!). It is great to see so many of those great competitors still playing good netball.
I am very proud to be a part of the Brown Hill Club. Brown Hill’s biggest strength has always been its team spirit and that comes from all those people who put back into the club what they have gained over the years. The depth of enthusiasm, the talent (both old and young) and the support from the mum’s means that Brown Hill will be a force to be reckoned with in the next 35 years.
