Saturday, April 10, 2021

SEPIA SATURDAY 565 -- What a Sport!

 

Love this shot of the ladies curling team, so decided to go with a sports theme this week.


These photos may not be all that ancient, but as my family loves sports and has played in many teams, I thought this a good chance to celebrate the fun, friendship and achievement we have shared over the years.




In my youth I was never considered to be an athlete, being very short and chubby, but I suddenly blossomed in my teen years and became sports mad. here I am as runner up in the YWCA Athletics Championships - that's me in the middle.



Meanwhile, unbeknown to me in another part of the state my future husband was starring as the Senior Boys Champion (and a bit of a heart throb, I think). That's Don second right in the back row.



And during winter he was captain of the school football team - centre front "holding the ball", which by the way is a rule in our football game - you can't do it!


And a fearsome - and very skinny fast bowler in the school cricket team. He did go on to play very good cricket in Adelaide and Darwin, where his speed and skill earned him such headlines in the local newspapers as "Teacher Needle Canes the Opposition" and "Nightcliff without Needle is like a Ship Without a Rudder".


Though perhaps he is best known in family circles for his fishing prowess - or lack thereof.



Not  to be outdone, I became known for  playing Hockey and Softball, although I haven't many photos of myself. Here I am with the girls I taught and coached. We were premiers that year.



And my Darwin Softball team that I captained and coached.





                                               Modern times -    here is Liz the lady Lawn Bowler.





And together we organised and ran many school sports days.


And just to finish off with an old one. Here is my mother with a netball team she coached back in the thirties. That's her on the extreme right with "The Hairstyle!"




Liz Needle  -  linking with   SEPIA  SATURDAY.






6 comments:

  1. Don is a looker! Now I'm trying to think whether I have any team or sports photos in my collection and I'm pretty sure NOT. I was certainly not on any team. My husband broke his ankle at football practice so never got to play. My mother was a cheerleader so she was the closest to "athletic," I suppose.

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  2. What a great group of sports photos! Funny, I was just the opposite of you. I was big into sports in grade school, but more into drama and cheerleading in high school. :)

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  3. Hands down, I love your mom's hairstyle! I had impossibly curly hair growing up, so this would have been perfect for me. It's interesting how you grew into sports after not being athletic. I was a sedentary bookworm for part of my life -- but after moving to NYC I began bicycle commuting followed by serious roller disco-ing then dance, weight training, yoga -- it's just a matter of waiting until the sports bug hits. Great photos of you and husband and your various sports endeavors.

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    1. Well, I was very active as a child - a tomboy (and not really chubby, more stocky), only having boys to play with. But I was also an avid reader and loved handcrafts. A real mixture. Just didn't play formal sports. I guess all the tree climbing, running, jumping, chasing held me in good stead as I grew older.

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  4. Loved seeing your family sports photos and both you and your husband in your various pursuits. Must have made for a good match!

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    1. 60th wedding anniversary coming up, so I guess we are a good match.

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