PAST and present Beechworth Football Netball Club legends are set to grace Baarmutha Park on Saturday in what is set for an historic sporting night for the community.
Five premierships; four decades and two leagues apart are set to be celebrated as the Bushrangers host league powerhouse Kiewa-Sandy Creek in what will be the club’s first home night game in its history.
Club co-president Emma Carey said the night would be a massive occasion for the town and the club was excited to showcase Baarmutha Park under dark.
“It’s pretty cool we get to use our lights, having a night game we’ll have a bigger crowd than normal which is exciting,” she said.
“We’re set for a ripper day, Danielle Bell our canteen manager has spent hours planning with the crew to make sure we have everyone going and Dan Cooper has pre-cooked the burgers for us as the butcher in town.
“Bec West and Bree Chambeyron have spent hours putting together the volunteer roster for this one.”
First-time reunions will be taking place for Beechworth’s Ovens and King League 1982 and 1993 reserves premierships and 2000-01 senior premierships.
There will also be a reunion of the club’s most recent senior flag in the Tallangatta league in 2010.
Kel Clark, who was a part of the 1982 reserves premiership side as a budding 18-year-old, said he was eager to organise a celebration with his former teammates, having not had a reunion in the 43 years since.
“We’ve always talked about having a reunion and I raised it with the committee three or four months ago,” he said.
“The committee said they had never had a 2010 reunion as well, and it just grew from there.
“Some blokes haven’t seen each other for 10, even 20 years, it’s going to be fantastic.”
Beechworth’s back-to-back triumphs as the Bombers in 2000-01 broke a 21-year drought in the seniors before the club switched leagues in 2003.
The reserves’ 1982 and 1993 teams were the last two Beechworth reserves teams to win premierships in the grade.
In 2010, the seniors were able to break through for their first premiership in the Tallangatta league after falling short in the grand final a year prior.
Carey said a large majority of the premiership winning past players were expected to be at the ground Saturday.
“Other people who have commitments during the day can still do their thing and then come,” she said.
Prior to the A grade tipping off on the courts at 6pm, a separate major milestone will be celebrated in the B grade with Coby Surrey bringing up her 350th senior match.
Surrey has been a pillar within the Bushrangers netball scene since the club moved to the Tallangatta league, having had multiple coaching stints and mentored a majority of the current playing group.
A pre-game presentation will take place at the start of the B grade from 4:50pm.
The new $360,000 lights were erected at Baarmutha Park in August last year after the club secured around $320,000 in grants from Indigo Shire Council and Sport and Recreation Victoria.
Carey said the committee were eager to mark the historic night game on a grand occasion, bringing forward the combined reunions in their home opener of the season.
“It’ll be great for spectators to see the lights in action,” she said.
The current day senior Bushrangers will be entering their clash against Kiewa-Sandy Creek full of confidence after taking down last year’s grand finalists Chiltern last weekend.
Both teams enter the game as the only undefeated sides after two games into the season.
The Hawks are considered one of the teams to beat once again this year and they’ll have extra motivation to claim bragging rights over former coach Jack Neil, who guided the Hawks to grand finals in 2022 and 2023.
Gates will open at 12pm with the juniors getting underway from 12:15pm, with the A grade netball starting from 6pm and senior football to kick off from 6:15pm.