Pakenham Lions Netball Club started as Pakenham Basket Ball Club in 1939 and the style of game and story as put together from original establishers and life members of the club – Norma Jackson and Lorna Anderson is as follows.
Norma Jackson
‘Basketball’ consisted of 8 girls – 7 on the court and 1 emergency who was only allowed on the court if a player was injured or sick.
The centre pass was thrown up between the two centre girls, like the ruck in football – no taking turns like today so your centre player needed to be a strong player in the hopes she would get the pass. Once the goal shooter or goal attack got the ball in the circle, she took her throw without anyone allowed to defend her so lots of the players were accurate in throwing goals from anywhere around the ring. A line was down the centre from the top of the goal circle to the centre line, which meant that the WD and the WA were only allowed in the centre third and half of the area from the line back and not allowed around the full goal circle.
Pakenham had a lot of interested girls so had 2 teams and the 2nd team played Catani’s draw as not everyone had teams early. 8 of us would load into Vic Saunders taxi and would pay him a shilling each to take us for our game. Once that was over he would take us to where the football was and we would get ourselves home mostly with our families or the best way we could. When the League was formed – a rule was made that if you didn’t attend meetings at Cora Lynn you could do 4 points. Once petrol rationing was brought in – this rule was not enforced.
About 1942 Pakenham won the premiership but Nar Nar Goon who had gone through the season undefeated felt they had the right to challenge us – them being minor premiers. This did happen in some sports but it was disallowed so they then decided we had to lose our points by not attending the meetings regularly. We finished up losing points so went out of the 4 and the finals were replayed and Cardinia beat Nar Nar Goon so they were the premiers that year.
Play with football and netball was disbanded through the war up until 1945 when it started up again.
I became President of Pakenham then and was lucky enough to be the Captain of the premiership team in 1945 and played again in 1946 and was married at the end of 1946. I became a selector for a few years and then eventually had 2 daughters Diane and Gloria who played netball and afterward I then had to spread my time between football and netball with my grandchildren – Sam Webster, Ryan Dunn and Michelle Webster playing and I am still doing this 70 years later.
Lorna Anderson
The Christmas of 1938 was a very warm one and going into the New Year 1939 was no exception with bushfires all around the country. As usual the West Gippsland Tennis Association held their annual tennis tournament at the Pakenham courts on Australia Day in January 1939, lasting all the weekend. When the tournament was coming to an end and it was nearly 100 degrees, I can remember eight or nine young girls were sitting on the green grass of the oval trying to cool off. There was no swimming pool or cool clubhouse to rest in. I passed the remark what a great weekend it had been and how lucky the boys and men were, as they went straight into football after the tennis finished! Why can’t we do something? They called delegates from each town and had a meeting with the hope of an Association being formed. Pakenham’s first meeting was held under lights in the back yard of the Stephensons home on the corner of Main Street and Roger Street on the 8th March. The phones ran hot between towns as we couldn’t get into cars and visit each town.
The friendship between the young people in towns was terrific from Dandenong to Warragul, they were our friends. Pakenham selected their President - Lorna Jackson (Anderson) and Secretary – Betty Stephenson and Treasurer – Sylvia Goldsack (Lindsay). We were determined to get it off the ground and running before the football started at the later end of April or early May, 1939.
Pakenham had enough players for two teams and we were able to hold our first West Gippsland Association meeting on 12th April, 1939 which was held in a Café in Garfield. It was moved that we form an Association and register with the Victorian Basket Ball Association and it was also moved that we follow the draw of the football.
Each had to go back to their club and get a court to play on and get permission from our own football club and from the West Gippsland Football Association to allow all this. Betty Stephenson and I approached the Football Club, Sylvia Goldsack our Treasurer approached Stan Truman who was secretary of the Recreation Committee and we also had Mr. Drake as our go between with the local committees and the West Gippsland Football Association. We also had Mr. K.J. Bourke (David’s father) who was a friend to all and had a big say in the Recreation Reserve as too did Mr. J.J. Ahern who was Shire Secretary for over 40 years. After a few meetings with these gentlemen we were given permission to use the old tennis court which was situated over between the old football ground scoreboard and the football pavilion (which is now the adventure playgroup and reserve in John Street). We were all so excited but we didn’t realise that 70 years later, the Basket Ball (now netball) would still be operating.
Our court was partly fenced off with broken down wire netting and it had a gravel surface with weeds growing over it and each Saturday we would have to dig out the lines which were 2 or 3 inches deep. They would become filled up with water and it was our job to clean it all up. We thought we were on top of the world. The one stipulation that the Football Club made was that we were all to buy members tickets and they wouldn’t charge us any more. I think they were about 2/6 each. Mr. Drake was a delegate for West Gippsland Football and he paved the way for us by letting the other club delegates know that Pakenham were up to. He must have had some influence as we were granted permission to begin our year with the football draw.
It was touch and go with a couple of clubs as 1939 was in the depression, no money only plenty of fun and thought some may have to pull out but no – all went well. My husband made a bet with me that it would all fade out before the 12 months was up.
Pakenham made the first trip down to Country Week in 1939. We did not win a game. We got a shock. We thought we were good home here going along undefeated, but it was a different story down there.
Pakenham went through and won the premiership without losing a game. The Association decided on a presentation night/ball on 4 September, 1939 and we had to decorate the old Garfield Hall and do up the floor etc. A train left Pakenham in the morning on Sunday and returned Sunday night to be told that war had been declared.
I am sure every person from Pakenham to Longwarry, Kooweerup to Lang Lang was at that ball. Not knowing if we were going to see the last of our boyfriends, brothers and fathers and I will never forget that night. It was my 21st birthday and I didn’t care about tomorrow – only live for the present as every else at that ball felt.
The premiership team from Pakenham was as follows:--
· Joan Dodd (Jobling), Marion Ahern (Lincoln)
· Betty and Margaret Stephenson
· Roma Reid (Jackson)
· Marie Levey (Jackson)
· Lorna Jackson (Anderson)
· Clara Smith was interchange.
· Sylvia Goldsack was our umpire and now and again she would get a game and she rightly deserved it.
We won the premiership in 1940 again and then because of the war the Association went into recession. In April, 1945 a meeting was called to reform the club.
In 1945 Norma Marshall (Jackson) was elected President with Joan Fitzsimmons as Secretary to run the club. The club then went on to bigger and better things. The war was over, there was money around and work was plentiful. Pakenham won the 1945, 1946, 1949 and 1950 premierships. In 1950 the Pakenham team went to Country Week and was runners up – a great achievement. The team consisted of:-
· Margaret Jackson
· Joyce Jackson
· Melva Ritchie
· Dot Thewlis
· Val, Margaret and Betty Schultz, (Hardy) (Stephenson) (Goldsack), and
· Ruth Williamson.
Last Modified on 13/07/2009 16:13