LIFE MEMBERSHIP 1980

Prepared on reflection July 2021

I played underage hockey with North West Hobart Hockey Club up until 1968 but as I started work with the PMG and happened to be in the same work place as Kevin Mitchell I had no choice but to play with Canterbury in 1969.

I played 3rd  Grade in 1969 and it was a big struggle between hockey, surfing, beer and females. Fortunately, I saw the bright red light of the Canterbury Hockey Club in the next couple of years and wound-up playing 1st  grade from 1973 until 1978. Unfortunately, I broke my leg playing summer hockey in 1978, after that I played mostly A Reserve and Second Grade for the next Eon and played in numerous A Reserve and Second Grade Premierships including 1978.

• • • 1975 Canterbury Men’s team to Melbourne
    • 1980 Organised volunteers to run SHA kiosk for Club fundraising
    • 1981 Coach of Indoor Third Grade team
    • 1983 Vice President
    • 1984 Manager A Reserve
    • 1985 2nd Grade Premiership and State Premiers

A big highlight was playing in Canterbury’s first Veterans Premiership in 1994 against a star-studded Derwent team. Canterbury was considered no chance as we were only a bunch of raggedy arsed scrubbers: Graeme Corney, Richard Hawson, John Lawler, Grant Cubit, Hein Vandenburg, Eric Perriman, Graham Gates, John Church, Allan Hopwood, Colin Lockett, D Hodgett, me and chief scrubber Ian Bowden (Sparra). We won 1 – 0.

Work commitments and an increasingly bad hip made me give the game away in the early 2000’s, but I still follow the Club from afar.

Along with my playing with the Club I was also the Secretary of the Canterbury Men’s Hockey Club from 1973 until around 1979. At that time, I also coached senior indoor teams and most of the Clubs U14 age group. I also coached U17s for a period in the early 1990s. One of the turning points of our Club was being able to entice Colin Beaton to coach our Club in 1975 and the subsequent recruitment of Geoff Collis firstly as a player and also the First Grade Coach.

I was awarded Life Membership in the mid 70s, something I consider a great honour.
One of the great things about the Canterbury Hockey Club has always been the great social side, producing many memorable nights and Sunday mornings.