A new era: Mitchell Shire Deputy Mayor Fiona Stevens presents the O'Rouke family with the official plaque of the newly named Gerry O'Rourke Basketball Stadium. Photo: Wayne Herring
Icons of Seymour’s rich basketball history came together for a night of celebration and reminiscing on Saturday, October 15, as the Blasters held their 50-year anniversary function at St Mary’s Hall.
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From listening to the stories of distinguished guest speakers David Mundy, Gabe Richards and Warrick Giddey, to officially renaming its stadium the Gerry O’Rourke Basketball Stadium after the club’s founding member, the night showcased all that is great about Seymour basketball.
Touching moment: Bill Brock presents son Christian with his retired jersey. Photo: Wayne Herring
The event was nine months in the making and organiser Marc Sartori said a fantastic time was had by all.
“The night was incredible. Everyone had a great time and it was a perfect celebration,” Sartori said.
All smiles: Tony Best presents Suzannne Lubeck with a life membership.
“We heard stories from the early days around how the club started, our guest speakers did a marvellous job and everybody in attendance was thoroughly entertained.
“The biggest thing for us was naming the stadium after Gerry O’Rourke, our founding member, and his wife, daughter and grandson were there to receive that, and they didn’t know about it, which was cool.
“We also managed to celebrate all of our legends, past and present. They have made the club so great, retired some iconic numbers and just looked back on our history.”
Happy family: Paige, Craig, Dylan and Liam Hockley.
While the night was a raging success, the flooding situation at Seymour in the days leading up to the event almost meant it never happened.
Constantly monitoring the situation, Sartori said the organising committee ensured all attendees would be safe before pushing forward with the function.
“It was certainly touch-and-go there for a bit. We had a crisis meeting on the Friday to try and work out a way forward,” he said.
“There were a few people against it. The overwhelming majority wanted it to go ahead once we knew there was no risk of flooding at the venue.
“Our guests could still get into Seymour which was a big factor and we couldn’t afford to lose the money we had put into the event, so the decision was made to go ahead.”
Major honour: Carol Harrop with family members Ashleigh and Kelly.
As a result of going ahead, the club was able to raise crucial funds for flood victims, with the Blasters one of countless local organisations helping those affected by the devastation.
Massive achievement: The Hockley family celebrates the retirement of Craig's number.
“Out of the 160 people initially slated to attend, we only had 10 not show up, so it was a wonderful showing of community spirit. I couldn’t thank the people of Seymour enough,” Sartori said.
“Warrick Giddey brought a signed NBA jersey from his son Josh which we auctioned off to raise funds for flood victims, which was awesome.
“We also had David Mundy donate a Fremantle jumper to be auctioned off and in the end we raised over $750 which was incredible.”
Excellent presentation: Australian basketball legend Warrick Giddey was a guest speaker on the night.
Imparting her wisdom: WNBL player Gabrielle Richards was a hit among the Seymour locals.
For a great cause: David Mundy donated a signed Fremantle jumper to be auctioned off for flood victims.
Legend: Basketball Victoria general manager David Huxtable presents Craig Hockley with a 35-year service award.
