with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
Sometimes in life you get offers that you absolutely must take . This was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities that was too good to say no to . I had the chance to meet and interview the world ’ s oldest international rugby player , 101-yearold Eric Tweedale .
I travelled to Umina to meet Eric . For a 101-year-old man , he was very spritely and robust . Eric was born in Rochdale , England on 5 May 1921 and was the son of a World War 1 veteran . He grew up in Greystanes and Merrylands in Western Sydney and had his first taste of rugby back in 1936 as a 15-year-old with Parramatta Two Blues Rugby Club .
Within two years Eric was playing 1st grade rugby against grown men as a 17-year-old . And shortly after this Eric served in World War 2 in the Royal Australian Navy . He was still a young man , and his memory is as sharp now as it would have been then .
Eric recounted his stories serving in
Eric on the Wallabies NZ tour in 1946 . Credit Rugby Australia .
Sydney when the midget subs attacked Sydney Harbour , in the South Pacific , and then did service overseas in the Atlantic before returning home at the end of World War 2 to return to his love of rugby .
He was no longer the boy of the team , but a veteran who would lead the club and team forward . In 1946 on his return from the navy , Eric was selected for the Wallabies for their tour of NZ , earning the first of his 10 caps which he still speaks very proudly of today .
Eric recounted that playing against New Zealand was tough , but he played with tough players such as Sir Nicholas Shehadie and his best mate Ken Kearney , who are
Wallabies legends in their own right .
Eric toured Britain , Ireland , France and North America in 1947 / 48 in a tour that lasted for nine months and was 39 tour matches in total . That is a tour that will never again happen for that duration of time .
On his return he moved to the country and took a job with the Shell company where he still managed to play for NSW
Eric Tweedale and The Duck Man .
against the British Lions . Eric returned back to the big smoke in 1957 to play and coach the Two Blues once more .
When I asked Eric what his biggest legacy is to the game he devoted a lifetime to , he said it was the creation of the Parramatta junior district which included existing clubs now like Hills Rugby Club and many other places . Eric was instrumental in the development of the junior competitions . He could see the value it gave to the game , and to the kids and potentially produce future Wallabies from the region .
He was not wrong . The area has seen many outstanding rugby players come through including Ray Price , Andrew Leeds , Tony Melrose and many others . He has lived a life that many people can only dream of in this modern era .
Due to the service that Eric gave to the club and the game he was bestowed the honour of having the old Two Blues ground , Granville Park named after him by Cumberland City Council , and he received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000 . This is quite a life lived by an extraordinary man .
Baulkham Hills Shire Netball Association - going strong
with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
Baulkham Hills Netball Association was established in 1975 . The competition started at Gooden Drive Netball Courts at Winston Hills . The association quickly outgrew its one venue and added Ted Horwood Reserve and Don Moore Park courts to its playing grounds .
The rapid growth continued and in 1992 they moved to a single venue at Kellyville Netball Complex . This massive complex consists of 39 all weather courts and the association continues to grow each year .
The Hills is a growth area of North Western Sydney , and the population is currently 192,509 at the time of the 2021 census . The population is expected to reach 259,014 by 2036 . That would see the area grow by approximately 25 per cent in that time .
Matisse Leatherbarrow with Castle Hills Sports Netball Club .
The courts at Kellyville are owned and run by the association and the surface has recently been upgraded to all weather courts at a cost of $ 500,000 to members . The gardens and retaining walls have also been upgraded to make the courts one of the premier netball venues in NSW . There is still more funding required urgently to build an indoor playing facility dedicated to netball to help continue to attract new players to the game in the shire .
It ’ s a tough market place with strong women ’ s competitions in the local area in soccer , an ever-growing presence in women ’ s 7s rugby , AFL , basketball and rugby league . One key feature that the netball association have is the opportunity to offer talented players a chance at Super Netball . And the precedent is there .
Talented players from the association such as Matisse Leatherbarrow who is a 21-year-old goal shooter and goal attack for Giants Netball is a perfect example of the pathway working from local netball to Super Netball . Erin O ’ Brien is another player at Giants Netball who is a Baulkham Hills Netball association product , and is currently in the under 19s national squad plying her trade as a goalkeeper / goal defence .
It doesn ’ t stop there either , Tayla Fraser
currently plays wing defence , centre and wing attack also coming from the local competition and Briony Akle , the Head Coach of the Swifts , who led them to premierships in 2019 and 2021 also comes from the association .
The association is certainly big . There are currently 26 clubs and 4179 registered players competing , and this is one of the biggest associations in NSW . There are currently 64 different grades including 30 junior grades , 17 intermediate and 17 senior grades . There are also 513 teams in the association with a whopping 6200 games played in NSW . 12,700 umpire sessions were required for 2022 .
In June 2022 the 15 years , 17 years and open teams all attended the NSW Senior State Titles at Campbelltown Netball Association . The opens finished 5th , the 15s finished 5th and the 17s were runners up . It was very proud moment for Baulkham Hills to have all of the senior teams finish in the top five .
Men ’ s netball competition is the next thing on the agenda , with the mixed comps progressing and the men ’ s rep team is playing its first season .
One of the main clubs is Castle Hill Sports which is the second largest club in
Baulkham Hills Netball Association Rep Team .
BHSNA with 468 registered players . Castle Hill Sports Netball Club was established in 1996 and has been operating for over 25 years . At CHS they are very proud of their friendly atmosphere and community spirit and encourage inclusivity in a fun and safe team environment . They are committed to making the wonderful game of netball accessible to as many players as possible , starting from age five up to and including junior and senior teams .
The teams train at Bernie Mullane Complex outdoor netball courts , Marella Ave , Castle Hill . They play games every Friday and Saturday at BHN Complex , Wellgate Ave , Kellyville .
New players should contact the club via the website : chsnetball . com . au .
32 ISSUE 94 // APRIL 2023 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT