Oscar Parry
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Sunbury Basketball Association, with members new and old celebrating the organisation’s rich history.
Sunbury Basketball Association founding and lifetime member Jimmy Moffat said that in the early days, association members played basketball in an army Nissen hut in Diggers Rest.
“[It] had tiles missing, the walls had nails protruding out … if you missed a layup, you got crucified!” Mr Moffat said.
He said that in the mid ‘70s, one of the founding members, Bernie O’Farrell, put an ad in the local newspaper calling for anyone interested in basketball to meet the association at a Sunbury high school, where over 100 children showed up – revealing a keen local interest in the sport.
The association then formed a committee, with members including Jimmy Moffat, John Noble, Murray Hazelwood, Neil May and Peter Kellet, who advocated for a basketball stadium with the then-Bulla council.
The council matched the association’s contribution of $10,000, then building a court at Clarke Oval Reserve.
The association later moved to Eric Boardman Stadium after it was built in the late 1980s.
Association lifetime member Lesley Thomas, who joined in 1977, has also played an important role in the club’s history through various roles, with court one at Boardman Stadium now named after her.
Sunbury Basketball Association president Glenn Ogston, who has been involved with the association since 1986, said the club has always been a “comfortable place to just be at.”
“I’m humbled and privileged be the president at this time … it’s about the reflection of five decades of community connection,” Mr Ogston said.
He said joining a local basketball team offers community connection, benefits to physical and mental health, and an opportunity to “get in at the grassroots level” for those hoping to play at a professional level.
Mr Ogston said as Sunbury’s population is growing and indoor sports remain popular, the stadium is feeling the pressure and needs additional multipurpose courts.
“We’re working with Hume to better serve our members but also pushing the barrow as hard as we can to get additional … indoor multi-purpose space for Sunbury indoor sport users,” he said.
The Sunbury Basketball Association will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with a dinner at Sunbury Social Club, starting at 6pm on Saturday, October 26.
Details: www.facebook.com/SunburyJetsBasketball
