More than 1,500 people joined Collingwood Basketball Association on Sunday 13 September to celebrate 50 years of Collingwood Basketball and Junior Domestic Presentation Day.
Players, coaches, volunteers, families, Life Members, supporters and friends of the Association came together at Collingwood Basketball Stadium for a day of Junior Domestic presentations, All Star games, historical displays, competitions and celebrations spanning five decades.
The day also marked the end of the Winter season for the All Stars Junior Domestic competition. Players and families filled the stadium for team presentations and the opportunity to celebrate another season of community basketball.
Across the day, the 50th anniversary celebrations brought together players and coaches representing every year of CBA’s history since 1976, connecting the Association’s past with the players and families who are part of Collingwood Basketball today.
CBA was pleased to welcome distinguished guests Sheena Watt MP, Sarah Witty MP, former State Member for Richmond Richard Wynne, City of Yarra Councillors Sophie Wade, Meca Ho, Kenneth Gomez and Sarah McKenzie, and Basketball Victoria CEO Nick Honey.
Court 3, the original court used by CBA before the construction of the new stadium and Courts 1 and 2, was transformed into a celebration of Collingwood Basketball’s history.
Memorabilia collected from across the past 50 years included photographs, newspaper articles, club newsletters, trophies, stadium campaign material and uniforms worn by generations of Collingwood players.
Pennants and banners documented the Association’s involvement in competitions across the decades, from the Albert Park Junior Basketball Association through to EDJBA, VJBL and Big V.
Many people contributed material and time to bring the historical displays together, with special thanks to Megan Rouse, Gerard Molan, Rohan Locke and Maurice Molan for their work preparing and setting up the collection.
The 50th Anniversary Ceremony provided an opportunity to reflect on CBA’s beginnings and recognise some of the people who helped shape the Association.
The ceremony opened with a welcome from current CBA President Dure de Winter, who welcomed past and present members of the Collingwood Basketball community and reflected on the significance of the Association reaching its 50th anniversary.
Michael Smart shared stories from CBA’s early history and highlighted the contributions of Graeme Brown, Bill Budd, Tim Fruscalzo, Annette Jesaveluk, Garry Barker and Gani Sakiri, among many others who have contributed to Collingwood Basketball.
The ceremony also recognised Collingwood players who progressed to the highest levels of the sport.
Former Collingwood players Shane Froling and Toli Grigoriadis went on to play in the NBL. Orfeo Cecconato was a member of the Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team that won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. More recently, Collingwood junior Johnny Furphy has progressed from the All Stars pathway to the NBA.
Megan Rouse reflected on another important chapter in the Association’s history, the campaign to redevelop Collingwood College Basketball Stadium.
She recognised the many people who contributed to the campaign, including Chris Walton and Sally Jeavons, and highlighted the support of Richard Wynne in helping secure funding for the redevelopment.
Richard also addressed the crowd and reflected on his long association with CBA and the local community.
Basketball remained at the centre of the celebration, with two All Star games bringing different generations onto the court.
The Junior All Star Game featured players from CBA’s Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18 representative teams, giving the crowd an opportunity to watch some of the next generation of Collingwood All Stars.
The game was organised by Seb Scicluna, with teams coached by Bella Doherty, Prue Slocombe, Jalen Barker and Seb Scicluna.
The Senior All Star Game then brought current and former players together, including former Collingwood and NBL player Shane Froling.
Teams coached by Gani Sakiri and Ben Lloyd produced an entertaining game played in the spirit of the occasion, bringing another generation of the Collingwood basketball community back onto the court.
CBA’s 50th celebration brought together the different generations and programs that have shaped the Association.
The Junior Domestic presentations celebrated the players and families who fill our courts each week. The All Star games showcased our representative pathway and brought former players back to Collingwood. The historical displays and anniversary ceremony recognised the volunteers, coaches, officials and community members whose contributions built the Association across five decades.
Since 1976, thousands of people have been part of that story.
Thank you to everyone who attended, contributed memorabilia, volunteered, played, coached, organised activities or helped bring the celebration together.
Most of all, thank you to every player, coach, volunteer, family and supporter who has been part of Collingwood Basketball over the past five decades.
50 years of Collingwood Basketball. All Stars, One Community.