What a celebration we had for our Festival of Hockey and the other important events which accompanied the official opening of the Geelong Hockey Centre. We thank everyone for embracing our many festivities and for contributing to our vibrant hockey community.
Official Opening
The Geelong Hockey Centre was officially opened on Friday October 23, with many dignitaries and interested community members in attendance. We were honoured to have our local member Ella George MP open our new facility. She spoke of the community that is Hockey Geelong and the welcoming environment that we are known for.
We thank David Bourke from Hockey Victoria for travelling to speak at our opening as well as the members of the Geelong City Council.
The Mayor of Geelong, Cr Stretch Kontelj, was present and congratulated Hockey Geelong on the new facilities and the work which has been done to achieve the magnificent outcome.
Friday Night Drinks
The drinks gathering was very popular and we thank Nette Williams and Chris Thompson for organising this event. It was great to see so many people from days gone by come back and witness our new facilities.
Festival of Hockey
We need to acknowledge the incredible work of Greg Burns and his committee for pulling together all the differing aspects of this weekend. The time and effort given by Greg and the organising committee is very much appreciated.
Saturday October 24
The Saturday opened with the Under 8 games, 6 teams of the youngest hockey players in Geelong, representing the future growth and sustainability of the Geelong hockey community. It was fantastic to see clubs present the Tiger Turf commemorative shirts to the players. The games went on despite the occasional showers but then hockey players are used to such weather.
There were Come and Try sessions and the opportunity, gladly embraced by many, to have a hit on the new pitch. Corio Hockey Club found a new way to have fun on the pitch, and kids loved their face painting too.
The Junior Hockey Clinic led by Hockey Club Melbourne players Greta Hayes and Lisa Lejeune gathered a very keen group of junior players with 50+ children from U10 to U16 attending.
Tiger Turf Celebration Dinner
The Tiger Turf sponsored dinner on Saturday night was a huge success and we thank Nette Williams and Cass Calder for their organisation.
We were fortunate to have our main sponsor, The Shell Club, provide a superb dinner. Oakdene Winery provided their beautiful wines and Blackmans Brewery, a broad range of their beers and
other drinks.
Thanks to all who attended, including representatives of the Geelong City Council, Development Victoria and Tiger Turf. Thanks to Josh Sly for a great job as MC for the night.
With 120 people in attendance, it was a great night to celebrate the achievement of the dream, initially promised for the Commonwealth Games. Catching up with familiar faces from the past as well as current members created a buzz and lots of great conversations.
The evening included the announcement that the social rooms will henceforth be known as the ‘Graeme Dent Social Room’, in recognition of the immense amount of time and effort which Graeme has given to the project.
It was pleasing to have in attendance the 4 Hockey Geelong members who have served as President during the time it took to complete this project. Thanks to Alan Climpson, Peter Stuart, Emmaline Shand and Graeme Dent.
Sunday October 25
The Sunday was very wet but the games went ahead. A highlight was the Celebrity Game, in which a few people discovered how difficult the game is. They did very well and we think we have discovered some new recruits.
It was fantastic to see our Masters participants out and about despite the wet conditions. At times there were comments that the activity on the pitch more closely resembled freestyle swimming or interpretive dance than hockey, but everyone embraced the challenge with good humour.
The Frost and The Furious came out firing and immediately established their dominance with a pre-game Nutbush. Frankly, it was far more intimidating than the Haka, and thankfully no hips were sacrificed in the process.
Ready to Unleash faced some late challenges, including a number of last-minute withdrawals that left them with barely half a team. Despite this, and a few questionable umpiring cards that may or may not have been issued for being either too old or too good, they fought hard and managed to get on the scoreboard with a late attacking run.
The game eventually came to a close after Court claimed the honour of recording the first elephant foot on the new pitch, while Cass secured first blood.
A huge thank you to everyone who embraced the spirit of the day and was willing to have some fun with it. From double goalkeepers and super subs to umpires receiving cards, there was no shortage of memorable moments. It was a fantastic way to christen the new pitch, hosting its first official full-field game in an atmosphere that perfectly reflected the fun, inclusive nature of our association.
The result itself was almost beside the point. The real success was seeing players enjoy themselves, share a few laughs, and make some great memories while celebrating a milestone for hockey in Geelong.
Tiger Turf
We wish to sincerely thank Tiger Turf for their sponsorship of the dinner, the commemorative shirts and ongoing support.
Thanks to Abby Smith for the fantastic photos which kept her busy for the weekend (and a few days after)!
Finally, I wish to thank all of our community, the umpires, players, parents, families and supporters of our great game. The Geelong Hockey Centre is here and now we need to embrace the opportunities that this offers. Exciting times have arrived.
Graeme Dent
President Hockey Geelong
