Learn more about the history of Sassafras Ferny Creek Netball club as detailed by Helen Wositzky in December 2018

The Sassafras Ferny Creek Netball club has been an important part of the Dandenong Ranges community for many decades. The year the club started is to my knowledge unknown although it certainly was operating in the 1970’s because as a teenager I played with Sassafras Ferny Creek as part of the Sherbrooke Netball Association. It was a home and away competition with the clubs home base at Ferny Creek Recreation Reserve and travelling for away games to places such as Gembrook and Emerald.

The uniform I remember playing in was a most unflattering dropped waist cotton tunic with a pleated skirt – the pattern you could say was striking – white with bright red polka dots the size of a 10c piece. Possibly Joan Kirner, Victorian Premier 1990-1992 came to watch a SFC game and was inspired – this polka dot fashion statement became the insignia of her dress style.

The club operated until the 1980’s when a downturn of membership unfortunately saw the club fold.

In 1993 after a number of years of inactivity some keen mums at Sassafras Primary School restarted netball on the hill. A small group of eight little prep and grade 1 girls began training at Sassafras Primary after school, my daughter was one of them. The clubs rebirth began with the club reforming a committee and registering a Netta team in the Mountain District Netball Association competition in 1994. Significant in this rebirth was the late Kath Harvey, Fiona Oostermeyer from the Sassy milkbar, and Sue Shearer. Of those first 8 girls, 7 of them continued to play for more than 10 years for the club.

Interest and teams steadily grew throughout the 1990’s with 26 players by 1998. By this time training had moved back to the original home base at Ferny Creek Reserve.

In 1998 the neighbouring Ferny Creek Tennis Club approached the SFC netball club with a view to convert the netball court into an additional tennis court for it’s growing membership. The court at Ferny Creek had over the years become degraded and was increasingly unsatisfactory for club netball training.

Agreeing to this proposal we looked for an alternative to relocate to, the best option was the Olinda Recreation Reserve. There were 2 netball courts already there from when the Olinda Netball Club existed, although being unused for many years they were in bad disrepair, aesthetically unsightly, and vandalised. There was however good access, were on public land and were located within a recognised sporting and recreational precinct. With an upgrade they would be perfect. The Sassafras Ferny Creek Netball club undertook fundraising, and with club funds of $10,000 we began an upgrade and resurfacing of one of the Olinda courts (where the current cricket nets are located).

The Shire of Yarra Ranges supported this move, and provided funding of a further $3,000 through the community grants scheme to assist.

In April 2000 the netball club finally moved its base to the Olinda Recreation Reserve. A period of great growth followed and by 2003 there were 7 teams and 64 players with a strong committee. By 2007 – 162 local players had donned the red and white for Sassafras Ferny Creek – and SFC had become a registered Net Set Go provider.

In 2007 I was SFC president and a partnership was formed with Olinda Ferny Creek Football Netball Club, which by now also had netball teams in the YVMDFL. This partnership saw the planning for the development of a new court and storage shed which was achieved in 2009 with funding support from Council and State Government. It was from this partnership that Hilltop Recreation Association was also initiated in 2008 and has gone on to achieve many facility upgrades including the Olinda Pavilion.

Despite being a small club compared to other clubs in MDNA many successes have been achieved, teams often reaching finals with many teams winning the status of Premiers.

A number of SFC players were accepted into the Netball Zone Development Program, and many have played representative netball with MDNA.

The club may no longer wear the polka dots, but it one thing it does still do is to provide an important and valuable opportunity for local young people to learn skills, make friends, participate in healthy activity and most importantly it connects local community and families. It is often said that a connected community is a healthy and safe community.

There are so many individuals and families that have contributed greatly to this club over these decades, and made it possible for our children and young people to participate in netball in a community environment. Everyone involved should be proud of this and I am sure all have felt the great satisfaction and rewards of positively contributing to their community. It is wonderful to see this recognised in the new Sassafras Ferny Creek Netball Club Honour Boards.