Sport
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Mullum hockey celebrates 90 years The Mullumbimby Hockey Club is celebrating its 90th birthday this year and will field three senior teams in the Tweed Border competition. ‘The Mullumbimby teams train and play on the fields at Murwillumbah because the local fields aren’t smooth enough and carry the potential to hurt players,’ club vice president Carol White said. The club is fielding two women’s teams and one men’s team in 2019. ‘Female players range in age form 17 to 68, and we have seven women over 60 in the team,’ Carol said. ‘Hockey is a great sport. You can keep playing forever,’ she said. Team member Kaylene Toovey will be representing Australia against New Zealand in the over 65s Trans Tasman Cup being held on the Gold Coast in April.
Began in 1929 Back in May 1929 the club started with a single women’s team. Hockey was played as a curtain raiser for the interdistrict football matches. A star of the era was Ethel Mawdsley who scored numerous goals against Byron Bay, even though
The Mullumbimby Womens Hockey team of 1954: (back L-R) Bev Hammond, June Carter, Marg Batson, Nita Prior, Ann Sheather; (middle) Jean Cumstay, Maureen Mudge, Lorna Dixon, Jean Jones; (front) Denise Lindsay, Margaret Ryan and Jean Hill. Photo supplied Byron won most of the games. After the game, the visiting team was always offered afternoon tea. By 1931 the competition area included Casino, Lismore and Ballina. In 1932 Alstonville, Bangalow, Kyogle, Nimbin and Billinudgel. From 1934 – 1947 there were insufficient players to field a team. In those latter years the war would have impacted on the numbers. In 1947 a men’s team was formed and a women’s team was re-formed and affiliated with Murwillumbah Hockey Association. Hockey carnivals were a regular occurrence at
Mullumbimby in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Mullumbimby Hockey Club held regular dances in the Mullumbimby Memorial School of Arts. ‘To commemorate our 90th year anniversary we are going to hold a dance at St John’s Hall in Mullumbimby on June 29. We would love all past and present players and members to help us celebrate this special occasion,’ Carol said. Phone 0419046776 or 0432429896 or email yoursinhockey@hotmail.com if you have any memorabilia, information or any enquiries about the dance.
Shire skaters get some great ſĕƆƖōƐƆ ëƐ ŕëƐĶşŕëō Ǖ ŕëōƆ Four Byron Shire skaters have returned from the Australian Skateboard League National Finals in Melbourne earlier this month, with some great results. Suffolk Park’s Joey Cormack lead the pack picking up second place in the open division after taking on some of the best skateboarders in Australia. Mullumbimby brothers Sumanyu (11 years) and Ekaya Black (12 years) came fifth and ninth respectively in the U/12s, while Oscar Southerden (10 years) from Myocum came eighth in the same event. ‘They all did very well, it was all part of the Moomba festival in Melbourne. A huge event,’ Oscar’s dad Nick Southerden said. ‘The skate park was Riverslide, which is right next to the MCG and Rod Laver Arena. There were thousands of spectators. ‘All the skaters now have a world ranking under an international points system averaged out over the points they scored in the contest. ‘Skateboarding has
Oscar pulls off a feeble grind down the rail at Tugan Skate park practising for the skate league. Photo supplied become a highly regarded professional sport, being held in the next Olympics. To think we have this talent in our shire is commendable,’ Nick said. All the skaters had to qualify for the national event through high placings in state-based events. ‘We travelled as far as Browns Plains Brisbane to qualify for the street league,’ Nick said. ‘As a father of a skater I am travelling regularly to Brisbane, the Gold Coast and as far as Sydney to ride in
decent skate parks. ‘There is much need for a professionally built skate park in Byron Bay, which there has been a lot of community push for. ‘The area’s youth population is growing quickly and we sure do have the talent,’ he said. Unfortunately Nick is getting frustrated by the process to build a new skate park in Byron Bay. ‘Just when it looks like we are getting somewhere, we hit another stumbling block,’ he said.
Junior surfers charge on Medals for Byron archers Land speed record for Fysh
Nyxie Ryan competes in Manly at the pro junior where she finshed fifth. Photo Ethan Smith/SNSW Crystal Cylinders Mikey McDonagh and Nyxie Ryan competed at the Key Sun Zinke Sydney Pro Junior at Manly over the weekend and had solid results in the quality one metre surf. Both made the semifinals in their respective events. Ryan was equal fifth overall and McDonagh equal seventh. Ryan is currently coming second in the JQS ratings and is also in the running to get into the trials to gain a spot in the women’s Championship Tour event at Snapper Rocks. Our local pro surfers Matt Wilkinson, Soli Bailey, Kyuss
King and Stu Kennedy didn’t manage to gain a good result at the Burton Automotive Pro QS 6000 in Newcastle. While there were big points on offer, none of them fired up in the lacklustre waves on offer at Merewether Beach. King won his first heat but was bundled out in the main seeded round of 96 along with Bailey and Wilkinson. Stu Kennedy scraped through that round into the round of 48 but was then eliminated along with the top seed Julian Wilson. They are all now at Manly for the QS 6000 event, which looks likely to run in below average conditions as well.
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Contestants line up at the SQAS short course championships last weekend. Photo Matt Stocks Ross Kendall A four-person team from the Byron Shire Archery Club has retuned from the South Queensland Archery Society (SQAS) short-range championship with three medals. ‘It was a really good weekend. I didn’t shoot as well as I could, but I still managed to get a silver in the open men’s recurve, and David French was running fourth, but pushed on to get a bronze in the masters men’s recurve,’ club president Damien Nardi said. The other medalist on the day was the club’s junior archer Daisy Stocks who
won a silver medal in the cub female recurve section. Coin Little shot sixth in the open men’s compound event. ‘The BSAC now has 35 members and has recently been “blooming”,’ Damien said. The SQAS happens once a year and draws in archers from Toowomba, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. There were roughly 60 archers at this year’s event. ‘We try and send a team up every year, so we can fly the club colours,’ he said. The next event on the club’s calendar is the SQAS target championships in two months.
Byron Bay resident Jo Fysh made the two-day trek to the salt flats of South Australia and returned with a Australian Land Speed Record. ‘My record is 57.5 mph (92 kph) and my top speed for the week was 65.8 mph, so great speeds for a little 50cc bike. Very happy and a very tough week due to extreme weather conditions but got the job done,’ she posted on social media. Jo was riding with the Affick Land Speed Racing Team. Photo supplied
Fundraiser for the MBVFC The Mullumbimby Brunswick Valley Football Club is holding a Trivia Night this Saturday March 23 from 6pm to raise funds for a new female changeroom at the Pine Avenue fields. At the moment there is
one changeroom that is shared by everyone. ‘The cost of the new changeroom is $45,000 and the council has committed to paying half, and we have to raise the rest,’ club member Kol Dimond said.
lëſĈIJ ǩǧǽ ǩǧǨǰ The Byron Shire Echo 55