Tag Archives: Warrandyte Netball Club

Coming together to support our own

EDITORIAL

PEOPLE IN OUR community have recently been involved in a tragic event after witnessing the happiest day of the lives of two of their friends.
The stories that have been flowing about that event across the national and international news are of loss, suffering, and anguish.
Yes, there has been much of that, but we will not be revisiting that here except to acknowledge the hurt and loss of our fellow community members and to honour the bravery of those on the bus on that dark night.
Back home, there has been grief, but it has also been a story of love.
Love for friends and family, love for teammates, and love for neighbours.
Our town has opened its heart to support those that have lost their lives, or their loved ones, or have been injured, traumatised, and distressed.
While I do not for a moment take away from the bravery and the tragedy of those directly involved, I want to take a moment to reflect on the love and care of those who have cared from near and afar.
At the forefront of that is the Warrandyte Sporting Group — most notably the Cricket Club committee, who had media camped outside the clubrooms for days, fielding hundreds of calls from an insatiable media.
The media were there because the whole country cared about what our community was going through, as lives were shattered hundreds of miles from home.
The club’s compassion for the team members and families has been humbling.
They have wrapped their arms around them and given them the support they needed physically, mentally, and emotionally.
When you are part of a sporting club, having to provide trauma support of this magnitude is unimaginable, but they have stepped up and embodied the club’s core values of commitment, respect, integrity, selflessness, and positivity — and above all, mateship.
So, to Royce, David, Rachel, and the rest of the club’s executive, thank you for being the best of Warrandyte.
Member for Menzies, Keith Wolahan, stood up in Federal Parliament to acknowledge the compassion on display in our community.
“Warrandyte is not just a suburb, it is a community,” he said.
And he is so right.
Hundreds of people have opened their wallets to donate what they could to the fundraising efforts — over $55,000 at last count; more than $42,000 has been donated to a GoFundMe page, and Warrandyte Lions Club has donated $5,000 to the cause.
Many have attended the benefit concert at the RSL, which raised $8,000; the benefit day at Donvale Bowls Club; observed the minute’s silence at the football; or offered practical and emotional support to the families involved.
So, to the bride and groom, Maddie and Mitchell, and their families who still reside in Warrandyte; the 13 Warrandytians who travelled to the Hunter Valley to share their special day with their friends, and their families who subsequently flew to NSW to care for them — all of Warrandyte shares your pain, your loss, and your grief.
To the emergency services who attended the worst bus crash in NSW history and the medical staff who treated the injured, thank you from a grateful community for caring for our sons and daughters.
It will be months until the physical injuries heal, and much longer for the emotional scars to fade — some may never.
But, as always, we will go forward, with love.

[AS IT HAPPENED] Tributes Flow

Tributes are going out to those involved in the Hunter Valley bus crash which has killed at least ten people, including Warrandyte woman Darcy Bulman.
The 37 people on the bus were wedding guests of former Warrandyte residents Mitchell Gaffney and Maddy Edsell, including nine members of Warrandyte Cricket Club and their partners.
The couple moved to Singleton about five years ago after growing up in Warrandyte, where they attended Warrandyte High School and played Football, Cricket and Netball for Warrandyte.
Warrandyte Cricket Club president Royce Jaksic said there were up to nine club members and their partners on the bus at the time of the crash.
The club has offered its condolences to the family of Ms Bulman, “a much-loved community member”.
Other members of the club remain in hospital, including her partner, who is a serious but stable condition.
“The remaining Warrandyte Cricket Club members are all recovering well, with some still in hospital.
“The club is supporting them to return home and with their ongoing recovery,” he said.
Mayor Cr Deirdre Diamante released a statement on behalf of Manningham Council.
“I along with the Councillors and all at Manningham are sending our thoughts to the families of the people affected by the horrific bus accident in the Hunter Valley.
“Many people from the Warrandyte Cricket Club were involved and we understand how much this will impact the close-knit community of Warrandyte and surrounds,” she said.
Member for Menzies, Keith Wolahan told the Diary: “We know that Warrandyte’s Sporting clubs are tight-nit.
“They are like a family to each other.
“My thoughts are with everyone impacted by this devastating tragedy.
“My office is standing by to assist in any way we can.”
Anyone who would like to donate to the victims of the crash can do so via Warrandyte Cricket Club’s GoFundMe page or the Rotary Club of Singleton.
Warrandyte RSL, in conjunction with the cricket club, is holding a benefit concert on Sunday June 25.
As part of the RSL’s Bands By The Bridge, Covers in the Corner will perform at the Warrandyte RSL, with proceeds going to support those affected by the crash.

 

Warrandyte Netball Club supports breast cancer fundraiser

MANNINGHAM Netball courts in Templestowe turned pink to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA).
On May 13, Warrandyte Netball Club (WNC) was excited to take part in the day organised by East Doncaster Netball Club, where players and spectators were encouraged to wear some pink and donate a gold coin to help support a worthy cause.
The highlight of the day was the mothers and daughter games, where girls ranging in age from seven to 17 teamed up with their mothers to play against teams from other clubs.
After halftime, the tables were turned and daughters from both teams combined to take on the mothers.
This led to far more competitive games, and although no-one was keeping score, the daughters made it very clear when they scored a goal against their mother.
Although it was Mother’s Day the next day, the daughters refused to show any mercy during the games and took full advantage of their own youthful enthusiasm and fitness.
WNC was proud to field four of the eight teams, showing great club spirit and commitment and having a lot of fun at the same time.
The club won the award for “Club with most participants” as well as some of the “Prettiest in pink”, “Most spectacular goal”, and “Best defender” awards that were given to players from each game.
The games re-awakened the competitive spirit in some mothers who are now looking to take up the sport once again and play either on a Tuesday evening or Saturday afternoon.
If you might be interested in joining a team, please email registrar@warrandytenetball.org to register your interest.
The day was a great fundraising success with over $3,000 being raised for BCNA.
Thank you to everyone who turned out to support the day, and we are looking forward to next year’s event.

Warrandyte Netball club victorious in four-flag final

ON GRAND Final Day, I had the pleasure of watching four fantastic games, and as President, I couldn’t be prouder of the whole club today.
Thank you to the players, coaches, team managers, umpires, parents and the Doncaster and District Netball Association (DDNA).
After many interrupted seasons, altered calendars and modified finals, we welcomed some normality this season after what felt like forever.
In saying that, the battle against illness, injury and “close contacts” raged all season and everyone had to be resilient, flexible, and understanding.
A huge amount of work is done before the girls even attend their first training for the season.
After two years of unparalleled difficulties and a shortage of volunteers being felt across community sport as a whole, there are certainly days when this can be incredibly challenging.
However, today I got to watch all the hard work and emails, late nights and hard conversations, meetings, and organising pay off in the smiles of the Warrandyte players.
The players loving the game is the goal and the reward; I seriously urge anyone thinking about volunteering their time with the club to come and see what you can do to help.
Nothing beats the feeling of watching young kids achieve something they didn’t think they were capable of.
It really is something else.

The Grand Final quartet

Warrandyte’s four finalist teams arrived at the courts to battle it out in their respective Grand Finals, hoping to become Premiers… and what a battle it was.

Tadpoles

At 10am, the U13 Tadpoles took on the EDNC Supernovas.
After a successful, undefeated season despite being rocked by COVID-19 and injury, the almost full team took the court buzzing and ready to go.
The Tadpoles fought hard for the game against good opposition and found themselves down at threequarter time.
In the final quarter, the Tadpoles surged forward, working swiftly, scoring seven goals to the Supernovas’ one in the final term, sealing the win by three points.
Elaria was awarded MVP by the DDNA official watching on, and the entire team received their awards postgame with coach Renae.
It was a hard-fought win.
Final Score: 21 – 18.

Turtles

Also, at 10am on Court 3, the U13 Turtles stepped on court after some final messages from coach Sharon and lined up against their opponents, the Deep Creek Ambers.
The Turtles were relentless in their efforts, never allowing the Deep Creek team a moment to rest.
The energy was high, and it was close right up to the final siren where Warrandyte and Deep Creek found themselves even.
After a moment of heavy breathing, the teams calmed themselves, and the Turtles jumped back on court for a final 10 minutes to determine a winner.
The Turtles kept their composure despite the screaming crowd and rose to the occasion in the match’s final minutes.
The Turtles sealed their victory by a point, and the scenes were awesome to see!
Rosalie was awarded MVP for her efforts in the game.
Final Score: 18 – 17.

Magpies

It was now time for Warrandyte’s U17s to take the court.
The Magpies huddled around coach Lucy for some final pointers, and then on the court they went to face the Deep Creek Jets.
The Magpies didn’t have a clear idea of how this Deep Creek team played as of the two games they played in the home and away season, one was a washout, and the other the Magpies team was severely depleted.
It was close from the starting siren; the talk was loud, and the play was fast.
The Magpies worked swiftly together, and everyone brought their best.
In the final minutes, the two teams were goal for goal, and it became a race against the clock to be the team ahead at the final siren.
With only seconds left in the game, the scores were even, and the ball was shot only to skim the ring and be rebounded by Lilly, who found
the winning point as the final siren sounded.
The MVP went to Eliza for her awesome game.
Final Score: 18 – 17.

Kookaburras

With Warrandyte now three for three, the Kookaburras took to Court 8 against EDNC Eclipse.
The Kookaburras had been busy during the week organising their strategies and their look for the big game, red war paint and braids all
‘round!
The Kookaburras also train whenever they can, in their determination to improve, and their hard work paid off.
Their game was smooth, and their fantastic movement was constant.
Warrandyte’s communication paid off as they could talk and settle the game when they needed it and encourage their teammates as well.
Fired up by the crowd and coach Rachel whose hard work (Coaching not only the U17s but an U15s as well) and insight kept the girls composed and on track to win by the club’s biggest margin of the day!
Imogen was awarded the MVP medal for her great game.
Final Score: 38–15.

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Bullants blast Jets in Grand Final victory

In the U13/3 Netball competition, the Serpell Jets were the clear favourites, coming into the finals with a win/lose record of 10–1, compared to the Warrandyte Bullants 6–5.

However, the Bullants had been the victors in the Jets one and only loss of the season, giving the underdogs some needed confidence in the final.

The Jets started the game like the favourites with a 3–1 first quarter, which was repeated in the second quarter only because the Bullants snuck a goal on the half time siren.

It was looking bleak for Warrandyte Bullants at half time but by three quarter time they had the premiership within reach.

Aggressive defence by Scarlett Preston, a lot of hard work through the centre and around goal and accurate shooting from Amber Gedge saw the Bullants mount a solid third quarter comeback, entering the final quarter trailing 10–8.

Both teams fought with everything they had in the final quarter, setting the large crowd on edge.

The Bullants drew level with 90 seconds to go after a see-sawing nine minutes and with both teams playing so well, it was impossible to tell who would win.

The Bullants hit the front with 30 seconds left in the game but the Jets still had a chance to level the scores as they took the ball to the centre restart.

When the Bullants forced the turn over with only seconds left, their last goal proved to be the winner.

As the siren sounded, there were cheers and tears for both sides with the Warrandyte Bullants winning 14–13.

The winning team (Photo: SCOTT PODMORE)