The many famous names in the Hall of Fame

SINCE it was launched at the Bendigo Sports Star of the Year awards in 1993-94, the Hall of Fame has recognised many of the region’s outstanding achievers.

The architect of the Hall of Fame was the late Basil Ashman, a member of the first Sports Star of the Year committee in 1965 and the awards longest-serving committee member.

It was during a discussion with some school students at another Bendigo institution, Myer, that sparked Ashman’s idea to launch Hall of Fame.

Among those who had ridden in the Myer lift with Ashman was Faith Leech, a gold medallist in swimming at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

When Ashman asked a couple of students if they knew Faith and what she had achieved, the answer was “no”.

Ashman set about a way to recognise the Bendigo region’s sporting greats of yesteryear, not just those who shone in the pool, oval or track, but also as administrators.

The inaugural inductees were Faith Leech, legendary football coach Bob McCaskill, and lawn bowls champion Don Sherman.

There are now 45 members in the Hall of Fame which is proudly displayed at Bendigo Stadium.

The diversity of Sports Star of the Year is reflected in Hall of Fame as stars from cycling, horse racing, netball, water skiing, cricket, badminton, full-bore rifle shooting, athletics, golf, basketball, yachting, tennis, boxing, and more, feature.

A four-time Sports Star of the Year, yachting champion Glenn Ashby was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2014-15.

An outstanding sailing career for Ashby who first learned the craft on Lake Eppalock includes being skipper of New Zealand’s America’s Cup victory in 2017, and also been part of the NZ crews for Cup battles in 2013 and ’21.

Ashby was a silver medallist in the Tornado class at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Two lines from the Script tune, Hall of Fame sum up Ashby and so many of central Victoria’s sporting greats who have been recognised for their sporting prowess.

“Some will call it practice, some will call it luck

“But either way you’re going to the history book.”