Provided by: Lorraine Crawford
Dear Panthers Basketball club Committee 2021.
The time has come when I have decided to retire from my voluntary role with Panthers Junior Basketball club which has been my passion, and love for such a long time.
I have helped Administer as the Club has gone through many major phases, and with each of these, it has grown in numbers and strength with the help of the many friends.
The Voluntary Coaches have become a vital part of the Panthers Basketball Family, and they have so kindly helped to build our club . Former Junior players are now Coaching their own children.
Originally there were no Computers . Everything was hand written.
The later years have seen the Nomination and Registration systems change with Technology, and our Committee have been amazing in the introduction of Sports TG and now Game Day.
Thank you to all of the past Life Members and to other brilliant Committee people I have been fortunate to have as support. Many Coaching courses followed to be able to perfect and teach.
Noel Johnson, was in the very original LSC A Grade Men’s team, and he and his brother Dave Johnson later became Long term Presidents and valued Coaches, and leaders.
Dave MacKinlay, a past LSC player, Referee, Bench Official and Coach, who is also enormously passionate about the kids in our community, and has contributed so much to Albury Basketball, Bandits and our truly wonderful Club. Dave has been honoured with Life Membership of the Albury Basketball Association.
The Panthers Basketball Club constitution has been updated and approved this year, and that has been a huge task. Thank you to Beth and Leah and all of the current Committee for your tireless work doing this.
The Current Panthers Basketball Club have been so fortunate to have Professional people in Beth as President , Andrew Vice- President, Kylie as Secretary , Bernadette as Treasurer, Leah as Registrar, and Jeremy as Coaching and Committee support. Thank you to each of you.
I feel very comfortable that the Panthers Basketball Club is in very good hands, and I would like to wish all of the new committee and players and their families all the very best.
Basketball goes from Tackers to Teens, but only if parents get involved.
The kids learn the meanings of the words “Loyalty, Training and commitment”
A Quote I Love “What Basketball has given to our Kids is Priceless”
Thank you for those Priceless memories.
Lorraine
History and past Information
In the 1960s and 1970’s the club comprised of Senior teams who played under the Lavington Sports Club name in a Competition which played games at Bandiana ,Tallangatta, and various schools in Albury Wodonga.
In 1966 Albury Basketball volunteers replaced the Floor Boards in the Tin Chook Shed at the Albury Showgrounds, and this became the home for Albury Basketball Association, Junior and Senior teams, and its own NSW Competition.
By 1971 LSC had Two A Grade Mens Teams, A Reserve Men , B Grade Men , A Grade , A Res. B Grade and C Grade Women.(Garry and Maree Jackson played A Grade, Bazz and I played B and C Grade Men and Women s teams )
All of these teams were self managed, but their base was the Lavington Sports Club which was undergoing a rebuilding in Centaur Road Lavington. Nominations were team names hand written on a writing pad.
A Prime mover Truck Float was decorated in White and Navy for an Australia Day Street procession.
Adult teams competed in “Almost anything goes“ Family fun Day at the Albury Racecourse.
2nd Stage: In 1981, the first Committee was formed, and from this time on the club has held Monthly Meetings and Yearly Annual General Meetings, all of which have been minuted.
At this time the Senior players introduced their children to the game, so the Junior Club quickly grew with the Coaching influence of the already skilled parents.
Because there was no money in the Club the Uniforms for the Kids teams were hand- made , and they thought they were Christmas. Uniforms were White with Navy numbers and binding
Our daughters Jodie and Tania played Junior and Senior Basketball for LSC/then Panthers, and also Gemma our Grand daughter
Fundraising included A Bush Dance at Albury Civic in 1984,Country Rock Night at Holy Spirit in 1985 and a Senior Presentation Function at the Race-Course.in 1986
Later funding enabled us to have professional uniforms made at T Shirt world, using the mesh fabric.
Tania being very tall became a Talented Albury Cougars rep player and our parental roles took us to all over the States of Vic and NSW, with her playing in the Winning Cougars U16 and U18 Girls State and Country Premiership winning teams , and also NSW Country Tour for NSW.
I then became the Team Manager for Maree Jackson in the Albury Cougars Women s team, when we travelled each weekend throughout NSW and Vic over the next 5 years.
At this time Our Family billeted 3 American State League/Bandits Imports, then 2 Wagga Talented Boys and a girl from Narromine NSW for the next 3 Years. The billets all played Basketball with LSC. and our club was very strong in all Senior and Junior Grades.
The End of November each Year saw Christmas Parties and Junior Presentation nights incorporating the AGM, being held at the Lavington Sports Club.
3rd Stage: In 2001 the Lavington Sports Club was then purchased by Penrith Panthers, and so the renaming of the LSC Basketball club. The club became the Lavington Panthers Basketball club, and the Club colours changed to the Black main colour with the rising slashes of white, Teal and Red to align with the Lavington Football Club. Sublimated uniforms were made at Attack Sports.
The 4th stage was when in 2011 ,the Penrith Panthers closed the doors of the Club in Centaur Road, and we were homeless. Fortunately , our club had become Incorporated, and our assets in our Bank and uniforms remained our possession.
The Senior Team numbers had dwindled, but the Junior Lavington Panthers Basketball Club remained very strong.
O&M Football then incorporated Netball ,in the League.
All others Panthers sporting clubs ,again we were out on our own.
With some Sponsorship from Hoop Tech, new sublimated uniforms were designed and made by Attack for our 14 Senior Teams and 25 Junior teams. Monthly meetings were held at the Lauren Jackson stadium.
The Panthers Basketball club entered in the Border Morning Mail Token Competition where we collected small round cut out token from each days paper. Weekly the tokens were submitted to the Border mail ( 20 tokens clipped together.) All of the Sporting clubs in the City were competing.
Our club over the next 12 weeks collected thousands of tokens , and in the end the a winner was drawn in the K Mart Plaza Mall. The Finalist club names were submitted. The Panthers Basketball Club were the worthy winners of $5000.00.
