Geelong marks a century of netball

PAST players, coaches, umpires and members of the Geelong Central Netball Association (GCNA) gathered on Sunday as they celebrated 100 years of netball in Geelong.

More than 100 people attended the event at Provenance Wines, sharing stories and memorabilia from across the past century.

GCNA secretary Liz Coles said it was a fantastic day with people travelling from many different places to acknowledge the milestone.

“It’s an awesome achievement for any sporting club, let alone a female-dominated sporting club, to have 100 consecutive years of their chosen sport.”

Ms Coles said from the minute people walked into the building until the minute they left, they had a smile on their face.

“We had banners for the photos from each decade on it, we had the memorabilia out, you’d walk in and see somebody that you hadn’t seen for a long time. It was a really great atmosphere.”

The afternoon was filled by a panel of guest speakers while former Australian netball player Madi Browne was the MC of the event.

Jaimee Van Leerdam, Ellen Darcy, Susan Meaney and Melbourne Vixens head coach Simone McKinnis shared their different stories and journeys about how they go into playing the sport and where they’ve ended up.

Madi’s mum, Chris Browne, was also one of the guest speakers, talking about the challenges of being a parent to two elite athletes who were different ages and going in different directions.

Past GCNA player, umpire and mentor Holly Carew, who turns 100 later this year, was also celebrated at the event.

“She’s just been an integral part, especially in the umpiring, in the last probably 50 years. She’s just been amazing,” Ms Coles said.

Throughout the year, the association has marked 100 years of netball in Geelong by incorporating some of the old rules into their Monday night games, including only letting the captain call out during a game.