A potted history of the Moorabbin Districts Hockey Club - by Richard E. Blazé.
The MDHC, as it is now known, was formed in 1960,
when Harry Nederveen, a local Cheltenham resident and top grade
umpire, brokered the marriage of the Cheltenham and Bentleigh
hockey clubs. A meeting of officials from both clubs saw the
sense of an amalgamation as Bentleigh had two very good senior
teams whilst Cheltenham had moderate success in seniors and
potentially very good juniors. Thus, the Moorabbin Hockey Club
was born. Some of the luminaries of the day, besides Harry
Nederveen who was founding President, were Jack Blackburn, Mal
Sundstrom, Pat Gawthorne (Cheltenham); Hugh Videion, Mike and Pat
Sinnott, and Dudley and John Buckle (Bentleigh).
The new club's success was soon evident when it played in A
Reserve grand final in the first few years of its life. Moorabbin
were runners-up in 1962 and gained promotion to A grade. A couple
of season's later, they were relegated, but again won promotion
following their memorable Premiership win a re-play against Old
Scotch. The club held this grade for many season's though not
ever able to be a real force in the "four".
The women's section was formed in 1969 when several ladies
answered newspaper advertisements ("The Standard") for
players to join. These ads were placed by Len Anderson, who later
became the first women's Coach and section coordinator. The
section grew steadily in proportion to the rest of the club
through the early efforts of Graham and Judy Stewart in
particular.
In 1973 an influx of juniors who moved from the Melbourne High
School Old Boys club injected more youthful talent into the club,
giving it depth which has carried through to present times.
The next major step in the club's evolution was in 1981, when the
Oakleigh Districts Hockey Club merged with Moorabbin Hockey Club
to form the current "Moorabbin Districts Hockey Club".
In the past decade, MDHC has been on of the largest Victorian
clubs with up to twenty teams, in competitions. The junior
section of the club, the envy of many in the Association, is
acknowledged as one of the strongest in Victoria.
Many senior premierships were won over the years, but if success
is judged on premiership flags, the juniors have been
outstanding. In the 1975 - 85 period, it was usual to have as
many as four grand final teams in the one year. The Under 14's
won four flags in a row, while the Under 12's and 16's were
regularly in finals, achieving great success. Moorabbin was
represented in all age groups' State Teams, often by as many as
four players and a coach.
The target which has thus far eluded the club and which we
constantly strive to reach, is to consolidate its senior men's
and women's teams in the State League competition and then to
achieve a Premiership in them. This challenge is before all those
currently involved in our wonderful club.
If facilities and ground conditions are a contributing factor in
reaching our goals, we have a complex at Kingston Heath Reserve
which is second to none in the country. Opened in 1989, it
consists of a sand-based synthetic ground with fantastic changing
and social rooms. All this in a botanical park setting with
ample sealed car parking space. We thank the officers of the City
of Kingston (the late Moorabbin City Council) and Ron Brownlees,
in whose honour our pavilion is named, in particular. They have
always been co-operative and amenable to our suggestions over the
years.
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Moorabbin Districts Hockey Club
Inc. 1997
Page created by: Gary Simmons,
Moorabbin Districts Hockey Club
Last Updated: 18 July 2001