Netball birthday party

THE Christmas of 1938 was a warm one and going into the New Year 1939 was no exception with bushfires all around the country.
As usual the West Gippsland Tennis Association held its annual tennis tournament at the Pakenham courts on Australia Day, lasting all the weekend.
There were many visitors from other clubs including Nar Nar Goon, Garfield etc.
Among the tennis players from these two towns were Brydie McGrath (Cunningham) from Nar Nar Goon and Edie Drydon (Pumphrey) from Garfield.
These two young girls were talented tennis players. Pakenham had Roma Reid (Jackson), Joan Dodd (Jobling), Marion Ahern (Lincoln), the two Stephenson girls and a few other players.
When the tournament was coming to an end and it was nearly 100 degrees, I can remember eight or nine young girls were sitting on the green grass of the oval trying to cool off. There was no swimming pool or cool clubhouse to rest in.
I passed the remark what a great weekend it had been and how lucky the boys and men were, as they went straight into football after the tennis finished. Why can’t we do something?
Brydie jumped to it and suggested a basketball competition equal to the football draw. We all thought this a great idea. Everyone had their say and it was decided to go back to their town, call a delegate from the other towns and have a meeting and report back with the hope of an association.
Pakenham’s first meeting was held under lights in the backyard of the Stephensons home on the corner of Main Street and Rogers Street on 8 March 1939.
The phones ran hot between towns as we couldn’t get into cars and visit each town. The friendship between the young people in towns was terrific – from Dandenong to Warragul.
We knew we had to get cracking pretty quickly and Pakenham selected its president – Lorna Jackson (Anderson) and secretary Betty Stephenson and treasurer Sylvia Goldsack (Lindsay).
Betty worked in an office in Dandenong and seemed to be able to get the information to help us along the way.
She went to Dandenong High as a schoolgirl and the sports mistress was helpful. Betty was a great student as well as a great sportsgirl.
Sylvia worked for Stan Truman who was secretary to the Mechanics Hall and also ran a jeweller and watchmaker’s business in the front room of the old Mechanics Hall.
She spoke to Mr Truman who promised us a shield and discount on all trophies if we got the project off the ground and running.
We were determined to do that before the football started at the later end of April or early May, 1939. Betty saw to the applications, I was busy on the phone getting in touch with all the girls around.
Pakenham had quite a turn-up at their meeting and we said we had enough players for two teams if necessary.
After much discussion over the phone we were able to hold our first West Gippsland Association meeting on 12 April 1939, which was held in a café in Garfield. There was no money to pay for halls and the owners were very kind to us.
I think if I remember rightly, we would only each have a couple of shillings in our purse. We would buy a cup of coffee and hold our meeting.
It was moved that we form an association and register with the Victorian Basketball Association.
We elected Brydie McGrath (Nar Nar Goon) as president of this association.
I was elected secretary and Edie Drydon (Garfield) was treasurer. It was also moved that we follow the draw of the football.
Now the trouble started. Each had to go back to their club and get a court to play on.
We also had to get permission from our own football club and from the West Gippsland Football Association to allow all this.
Pakenham was fortunate as the Jacksons, Stephensons, Dodds and the Aherns made up a good part of the football club. I can’t speak of any other clubs as we had our work at home here to do.
Betty Stephenson and I approached the football club, Sylvia Goldsack our treasurer approached Stan Truman who was secretary of the recreation committee and we also had Bunny Drake as our go-between with the local committees and the West Gippsland Football Association.
Mr Drake originally came from Bunyip, knew all these girls well and was very helpful.
He played tennis with Edie Pumphrey when she was a schoolgirl at Bunyip. We also had M. J. Bourke (David’s father). He was a friend to all and had a big say in the recreation reserve as too did J. J. Ahern, who was shire secretary for over 40 years.
After a few meetings with these gentlemen we were given permission to use the old tennis court, which was situated over between the old football ground scoreboard and the football pavilion (which is now the adventure playground and reserve in John Street).
We were all so excited but we didn’t realise that 55 years later, the basketball would still be operating, only called netball.
We had to pay to go into away matches but no-one minded as we would be going in any case – basketball or no basketball. It was decided at the original meeting we would pay two shillings and sixpence (25 cents) per team and that the association would give a small trophy to the premier team; hoping we could have a little money throughout the year. Once again we were able to use Mr Truman.
Pakenham had two teams – Pakenham 1 and Pakenham 2. I can’t remember which club couldn’t field a team. We managed quite well by playing Pakenham 2. It was touch and go with a couple of clubs as 1939 was in the depression, no money only plenty of fun.
We thought they may have to pull out but no – all went well. I take my hat off to these smaller clubs.
My boyfriend, who later became my husband, made a bet with me that it would all fade out before the 12 months was up. I wish he was alive to see his grand-daughter Katie Delarue (nee Ahern), the third generation to play for Pakenham and West Gippsland, doing so well.
Also third generation players Kelly and Lee Kitchin and Libby Drake. Pakenham made the first trip down to Country Week in 1939. We did not win a game. We got a shock. We thought we were good at home here going along undefeated, but it was a different story down there. We learned a lot and enjoyed ourselves, which is what sport is all about.
We all went ice skating in our uniforms Saturday night and we had a few blisters but plenty of laughter. We stayed at the Victoria Palace which was cheap and nice. Sunday we went to church and looked around the city. Monday we met all our boyfriends at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Richmond must have been playing because my boyfriend was there and it would have taken a lot for him to go if Richmond wasn’t playing.
Pakenham went through and won the premiership without losing a game.
The premiership team from Pakenham was captain Joan Dodd (Jobling), vice-captain Marion Ahern (Lincoln), Betty and Margaret Stephenson, Roma Reid (Jackson), Marie Levey (Jackson) and myself. Sylvia Goldsack was our umpire and Clara Smith was our interchange player.
It came to the end of the season and the presentation night, which was to be held at Garfield.
The association decided on a ball on 4 September, 1939. It was arranged that we all meet at Garfield on the Sunday and decorate the old Garfield Hall and do up the floor etc.
It was catered for by someone from Garfield so we had to make money.
Running a dance or ball was rather easy in those days as everyone loved a dance and that’s how we made our friends from Dandenong to Warragul. A train left Pakenham in the morning on Sunday and returned Sunday night.
This was a real occasion on Sunday to go and watch the train pull out (or was it just to get out with our friends).
When we arrived back at Pakenham we were told war had been declared. You can imagine how I felt. Secretary of a ball that I wanted to be a great success, music to be paid for, hall to be paid for, catering and also a cattle truck that we had booked to take all the Pakenham ones up there. My brother Ray would not let me or his girlfriend Roma Reid go in the cattle truck so he hired Vic Saunders’ taxi. I was worrying about his expense also. We all arrived up at Garfield and got things underway. When we got there, I am sure every person from Pakenham to Longwarry was at that ball. Also from Kooweerup to Lang Lang.
We had the lantern dance with the paper lanterns with candles inside. When the lights were turned out, you can’t imagine how beautiful it looked.
I had no need to worry about the ball being a flop. The beautiful scenery of that modern waltz. Not knowing if we were going to see the last of our boyfriends, brothers and fathers.
The hall was that crowded the lantern dance was a little dangerous, but there were no accidents. I will never forget that night.
It was my 21st birthday and I didn’t care about tomorrow – only live for the present, as everyone else at that ball felt.