PROVINCIAL AND HUNTLY NETBALL HISTORY
IN 1982 A MEETING WAS HELD WITH THE HEATHCOTE AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL/NETBALL LEAGUE WITH A VIEW TO JOINING THEIR ASSOCIATION IN 1983 THE DELEGATES WERE CHERYL HAYES. [COACH] DOT MURLEY [PRESIDENT] AND KIM HARTLAND[ALLEN], [TREASURER/PLAYER].
WE WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE HDF&NA ON THE PROVISION THAT WE FIELD 2 SENIOR NETBALL TEAMS OF WHICH CHERYL HAYES WAS TO ORGANISE.
IT PROVED TO BE MUCH TOUGHER THAN WE THOUGHT OUR FIRST OBSTACLE WAS THE LACK OF A NETBALL COURT AT WEERONA OVAL, SO WITH THE CONSENT OF THE ASSOCIATION WE HIRED THE WHITE HILLS TECHNICAL SCHOOL NETBALL COURTS TO PLAY AND TRAIN ON, WE HAD NO SHELTERS,TOILETS OR CHANGE ROOMS, WHICH PROVED UNPOPULAR WITH SOME CLUBS AND PLAYERS. IT ALSO WAS LOSING MONEY TO THE CLUB AS SO MANY NETBALLERS WENT HOME AND NOT TO THE FOOTY SO GATE TAKINGS WERE DOWN.
WE HAD THE FIRST INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED PLAYER IN OUR B. GRADE TEAM, WENDY MURLEY. ALL AGREED THAT SHE DID A GREAT JOB AND WAS WELL LIKED BY ALL.
THE WORKERS WE NEEDED. EG. KIOSK WORKERS, UMPIRES, SCORERS ,TIMEKEEPERS WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN, HOWEVER THE NEVER GIVE UP ATTITUDE LONG HOURS AND HARD WORK GOT US THROUGH.
SOME GIRLS PLAYED TWO GAMES IN A DAY AND UMPIRING, TIME KEEPING AND SCORING WERE DUTIES CARRIED OUT BY THE SAME PEOPLE REGULARLY.
WITH NOTHING TO SHOW EXCEPT HUGE LOSSES ON THE COURT, SOME REALLY GOOD TIMES WERE HAD. WE WON OUR FIRST GAME BY ONE GOAL TO THE TOP TEAM AND CELEBRATED TO THE THEME ‘WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS‘. SOME YEARS DOWN THE LINE CHERYL SPOKE WITH RAELENE BAKER , LEE ANNE HALL , AND GILL BOYD, WITH THESE EXPERIENCED PLAYERS AND RAELENE AS OUR COACH, WE WERE NEVER TO LOOK BACK, WITH HER CAME RESULTS AND OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL 10 YEARS WERE TO FOLLOW.
PREMIERSHIPS AND LEAGUE BEST AND FAIRESTS FOLLOWED;
A GRADE; SUSAN JENNINGS-1990
LEANNE HALL-1994 & 1995 JANELLE HOBBS- 2003
A RESERVE; JACINTA KELLY 1995
B GRADE; TANYA GIBBS- 1995
DANIELLE CARTER-1996
ANNETTE HOGAN-1999
C GRADE; SARAH HAW- 1995
TARA BAKER- 1996
IT IS WITH GREAT PRIDE THAT WE NOTE HAVING WON ALL FOUR BEST AND FAIREST AWARDS IN ALL GRADES IN 1995.
WHEN FIRST WE STARTED AT HUNTLY WE HAD TO PLAY AT THE LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL AS OUR COURT WAS NOT READY, AS IT TURNED OUT, THE COURT WAS UNDERSIZED! LATER IN THAT YEAR, THANKS TO A GRANT AND A HARD WORKING COMMITTEE OUR COURT WAS LAID.
OUR PREMIERSHIPS ARE AS FOLLOWS; B GRADE 1991 AND 1993
A GRADE 1994
C GRADE 1995 (CHAMPIONS)*
A RESERVE 1998
*CHAMPIONS ARE AN UNDEFEATED SIDE IN THE CURRENT SEASON.
PROBABLY THE MOST MEMORABLE OF THESE WAS THE C GRADE WIN IN 95 AS WE WERE DOWN 12 GOALS AT 3/4 TIME AND TURNED THE FINAL QUARTER AROUND TO WIN THE GAME, POSSIBLY HUNTLY’S BIGGEST AND BEST NOT TO MENTION PROUDEST COME BACK! IN ANY OF THE GRAND FINALS .ALONG WITH THESE MEMORIES ARE COUNTLESS FINALS AND RUNNERS-UP.
