Bendigo Beavers turn 60!

It was 60 years ago....


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Beavers Basketball Club -   History

 60 year Anniversary    1958 to 2018

Beavers Club began in 1958 with just 1 junior team playing in the newly formed junior basketball competition at the Bendigo YMCA

That team played in the first U18 boy’s competition in 1958 and were successful in winning their division.

The following year playing in the A grade Men’s competition the Beavers team won the Grand Final in the 1960 Summer Championships.

The team was made up of exceptionally well-skilled players and well coached by Mal Randall

The Beavers Club had 2 players in their team that was selected to play in the Victorian U18 State team, both Noel Cooper and Noel Byers were selected when State teams were selected from the entire state, unlike today where there is a Victorian Metro team and a Victorian Country team selected for Australian Junior Championships. In 1970 Beaver Junior Gary Dewhirst was selected in the Victorian State U18 boy’s team.

During the 1960 decade the Beavers A Grade team were very successful in winning 11 Grand Final titles in succession, a feat that was an acknowledgment of all the time and effort put in by the senior coaches; especially Mal Randall.

In 1976 Bendigo Basketball Men’s and Women’s Associations amalgamated and became the Bendigo Basketball Association at the West Bendigo Stadium when 2 new courts were built and opened.

The Beavers Club moved all its club teams to the new Association and grew to be one of the strongest clubs in Bendigo.

Beavers are proud to have developed many juniors that have played at the highest level in Australian Basketball; amongst those are Glen Saville, Olympian, NBL Championship winner and Captain of Wollongong in the NBL; Aaron Trahair who played NBL and also represented Australia and Justin Cass who played at NBL level for Geelong and Hobart. Nina Cass began playing with Beavers in the Under 10 girls and went on to have a long and successful career playing basketball at the national level and represented Australia at the under 21 World Championships.

Since 1986 when Bendigo began playing in the CBA Competition, the forerunner to the SEABL, the Beavers Club has been able to develop a number of their juniors to go on and play with the Braves. Those players included names so well known and remembered by the Braves fans: Mick Spear; Andrew Barnett; Mick White; Chris Dickson; Kristy Trahair; Megan Starr; Lucy Spalding; Rebecca May and Cara Demaine. The present-day Captain of the Braves, Chris Hogan, played his junior basketball with Beavers as did his predecessor Warren Randall.

Beavers Basketball Club is the longest established Basketball Club in Bendigo, beginning in 1958 with just one team. In 2018, 60 years later, Beavers have 38 teams playing at the Bendigo Stadium from A Grade through to the Under 10’s. 

While Beavers is not the biggest basketball club in Bendigo the club would have to be the most successful.

The Beavers Basketball Club invites all former players to the 60-year anniversary reunion function. This reunion will be held in the Skylounge at the Bendigo Stadium on Saturday 7th July commencing at 6 pm.

 

For more information contact the Club Secretary; Peter  Allan;    54439370 /  0419394783

28 June 2018




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