Gallery ǀ Benalla Hockey Club celebrates 95 years

By Contributed

Sep 27, 2022

Birthday celebrations: Life members Don Berry, Vicky Perry and Rupe Cheetham cut Benalla Hockey Club’s 95th birthday cake. Photo: Kelly Thannhauser

The Benalla Hockey Club celebrated it’s 95th birthday on Saturday, September 17 with a dinner and disco for members, families and supporters.

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Life members Don Berry, Rupe Cheetham and Vicky Perry cut the birthday cake. Thanks to player Millie White for the fantastic cake — find her on Facebook at Vanilla by Camilla.

The Benalla Women’s Hockey Association began in 1927 playing on grass in the Wangaratta competition, with the Benalla Men’s Hockey Association formed in 1977 after initiating the Goulburn Valley Hockey Association.

The year 1985 saw juniors form the Benalla Minkey Hockey Club, with all clubs uniting as the Benalla Hockey Association in 1990.

Family names such as Baumgarten, Berry, Cheetham, Citroen, O’Brien, Purcell and Perry have been on decades of team lists, with children and grandchildren playing — often alongside parents in the senior teams.

In 1988, the current sand hockey field at Churchill Reserve was opened, and the clubrooms completed in 2009 by an army of volunteers who also coached, umpired and played.

The current Tigers’ logo and new shirts were developed in 2014, with both men’s and women’s B-grade teams winning GVHA premierships that year.

The full Benalla Hockey Club history can be found at https://gvhockey.com.au/benalla-hockey.