Wlc History Master 2016 11 09

THE WEMBLEY LACROSSE CLUB 1938 – 2016 1 Grand Final action against East Fremantle at Perry Lakes Stadium c.1980. Gary Downsborough (12) shoots while Mark Bowman (7) hovers at the ready . Photo Bob Hyde. 2 THE WEMBLEY LACROSSE CLUB 1938 – 2016 This document – imperfect and incomplete – is just a starting point in the chronicling of the history of the Wembley Lacrosse Club. It has been compiled by a number of senior members, men and women, drawing on a range of resources including personal recollection. It is a work in progress. Well supported corrections, contributions and suggestions for future editions are encouraged from all members, past and present. Please email: [email protected]. Published by the Wembley Lacrosse Club (Inc.), Wembley, Western Australia. © November 2016. Material may be reproduced with acknowledgement of this source. Enquiries to [email protected]. 3 ‘Wembley ground Henderson Park. Catch Floreat Park trolley bus. Alight at Jersey Street and proceed South.’ (Fixture Card, 1950) PHOTOS ABOVE: Wembley C-Grade 1941, just three years after the club’s foundation. The team won minor and major premierships. Back row: Gerald Glynn, Alaric Tindal, Ted Liddlow, Gotch Clarke, Keith Weaver, Darryl Noack, Alan Weaver, Bob Rudkin; Front row: Joe Carden (Vice President), Bill Brown, Bill O’Leary, Harold Clifton (Founder and President), Marsden Banks, Bob Ramsay, Tom Banks (Vice President) COVER: Top – Wembley win the State League premiership over Bayswater 9-6 in 2008, the first flag for 22 years. They also won the minor premiership. Back row L-R : Nathan Rainey, David Bullen, Sam Williams, Blair Bentley, Ian Berry, Adrian White, Ben Reiger; Front row L-R: Matt Diver, Sam Ramsay, Chris D’Annunzio, Stuart Bentley, Morgan Bentley, Jaxon Hall, Alex Brown, John Casey, Lucas Wood Bottom – After a tight season, Wembley A-Grade take the flag over East Fremantle 16-7 in 2012. Back row L-R: Shendelle Oliver, Elizabeth Hinkes, Sarah Forbes, Hannah Barnsley, Steph McRae, Emily Hall, Chris Adams, Dennis Banyard; Front row L-R: Sally Banyard, Amanda Plummer, Hayley Simpson, Claire Ferguson, Rebecca Banyard, Aimee Bowman. 4 THE WEMBLEY LACROSSE CLUB 1938 – 2016 CONTENTS PAGE SECTION 1 HISTORIES & RECOLLECTIONS ......................... 7 Section 1A Men’s History 1938 – 2016 ......................... 7 Section 1A(i) Men’s History 1938 – 1969 ......................... 7 Section 1A(ii) Men’s History 1970 – 2016 ......................... 12 Section 1B Women’s History 1966 – 2016 ......................... 18 SECTION 2 A FEW MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ......................... 25 SECTION 3 LIFE MEMBERS ......................... 28 Section 3A Club ......................... 28 Section 3B State – WALA, WAWLA/Lacrosse West, Lacrosse WA 32 Section 3C Australia – ALC/Lacrosse Australia, WLA, ALA ........ 33 Section 2C(i) Certificates of Merit ......................... 33 Section 2C(ii) Life Members ......................... 33 PLEASE NOTE: Certificates of Merit for Club and State to be included at a later date. SECTION 4 CLUB HONOURS ......................... 34 Section 4A Men’s Honours ......................... 34 Section 4A(i) Premierships – A-Grade/Division One/State League ............... 34 5 Section 4A(ii) Fairest & Best – A-Grade/Division One/State League ....................... 35 Section 4A(iii) Association Fairest & Best – A-Grade/Division One/State League ...... 36 Section 4A(iv) Australian Allstars ......................... 36 Section 4A(v) Australian Representation ......................... 37 Section 4B Women’s Honours ......................... 38 Section 4B(i) Premierships – All grades ......................... 38 Section 4B(ii) Fairest & Best – A-Grade ......................... 39 Section 4B(iii) Association Fairest & Best – All grades ......................... 40 Section 4B(iv) Australian Allstars ......................... 40 Section 4B(v) Australian Representation ......................... 41 SECTION 5 OFFICE BEARERS ......................... 42 Section 5A Club ......................... 42 Section 5A(i) Wembley Lacrosse Club Office Bearers ......................... 42 Section 5A(ii) Wembley Women’s Lacrosse Club Office Bearers ......................... 44 Section 5B State ......................... 45 Section 5B (i) WALA Office Bearers ......................... 45 Section 5B (ii) WAWLA/Lacrosse West Office Bearers ......................... 45 Section 5B(iii) Lacrosse WA Office Bearers ......................... 46 Section 5C Australia ......................... 46 ALC/Lacrosse Australia, WLA, ALA Office Bearers ......................... 46 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................... 47 Abbreviations, explanatory notes ASPACS Asia Pacific Lacrosse Union [Games] ALA Australian Lacrosse Association (current governing body following the 2008 merger of Lacrosse Australia and Women’s Lacrosse Australia) ALC Australian Lacrosse Council (later Lacrosse Australia) WALA Western Australian Lacrosse Association WAWLA Western Australian Women’s Lacrosse Association (later Lacrosse West) WLA Women’s Lacrosse Australia 6 SECTION 1: HISTORIES AND RECOLLECTIONS SECTION 1A(i): Men’s History 1938 – 1969 [As few club records were available for this period, this section is based largely on the personal recollections of senior members.] In 1938, Harold Clifton, a Wembley shopkeeper who had played lacrosse in England, established the Wembley Lacrosse Club. It was an offshoot of the North Perth–Wembley Club, an alliance formed in 1934. As the decade neared its end, the senior team of North Perth began to dwindle. Harold saw advantages in Wembley becoming an entity in its own right and took the necessary steps. In its first year, Wembley fielded a single team – a D-Grade – in the West Australian Lacrosse Association (WALA) competition. He was helped significantly by Joe Carden, a prominent official of the North Perth club, which continued for a couple of seasons before folding. The new Wembley club was part of a busy lacrosse scene that would in a few short years be decimated by World War II. Other clubs around at the time included Fremantle, East Fremantle, Perth, South Perth, Midland Junction, Nedlands (later to be Nedlands–Subiaco, then Subiaco), Mt Lawley and University, with Bayswater forming in 1939, the following year. Wembley’s young foundation team lined up for its first match on the 30 April 1938. The original players were mostly recruited from the Wembley 227th scout troop, of which Harold Clifton’s stepson, Keith Kimber, was a member. The team comprised Marsden Banks, Bill Brown, Gerald Glynn, Keith Kimber, Les Moore, Darryl Noack, Bob Ramsay, Bob Rudkin, Alaric Tindal, Alan Weaver and Keith Weaver. Bill O’Leary was included from 9th May the same year. (Nearly six decades later, Bill Brown would be elected a Fellow of the Australian Lacrosse Council – the country’s highest lacrosse honour.) In its first season, the team were premiership runners-up. Harold Clifton purchased the new team’s first hickory lacrosse sticks. The cost of the sticks (seven shillings and sixpence – about 75c – each) was repaid by the players at threepence (about 3c) a week. Annual fees were initially one shilling (about 10c), and game fees were threepence a match. The club’s first uniforms were plain white shirts, on the front of which the mothers sewed a ‘V’ with green and gold ribbon (provided by Mrs Clifton). On the back of the shirts the mums sewed the players’ registered numbers. Henderson Park in Wembley was the club’s first home ground. There were no change rooms available so players mostly went to the match dressed ready to play. When necessary, visitors had to change in the toilets. During the early days, whenever Henderson Park was unavailable because the local football club was using it, our home ground instead was Wellington Square in Perth. On these occasions players would all meet at Harold Clifton’s shop, load the goal posts and nets on their bikes and ride to Wellington Square to play a game. On wet days this was some task. Back then, very few people owned cars particularly those young enough to play competitive physical sport. The public transport system was how most people travelled. A 1950 WALA fixture card stated: ‘Wembley ground Henderson Park. Catch Floreat Park trolley bus. Alight at Jersey Street and proceed South.’ Most lacrosse clubs had change rooms of some description, but hot showers were unheard of. In the middle of winter, the water was very cold. Most of the players after a game just dashed in and out of the showers in one motion. The coldest water by far was in the showers on the Perth Esplanade. 7 At this stage, the club had trouble securing a permanent home ground. It was shunted from Henderson Park to McLean Park followed by Alderbury Reserve before finally settling at our present day Floreat Oval. The football always had first choice of grounds and lacrosse got the leftovers. At times the football and lacrosse grounds would overlap, causing a lot of problems. During WWII the local senior competition was abandoned as most seniors were serving their country in the armed services. In place, a strong junior competition was conducted, mostly eight-a- side. The young Wembley Lacrosse Club was growing fast in numbers and skills. They dominated this period, winning numerous premierships. Throughout this difficult period two members of the club in Neville Monkhouse (Secretary) and Bill O’Leary (Treasurer) gave outstanding service. They kept the club alive and contributed greatly at WALA level. They laid the foundations for a

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