BASKETBALL'S HISTORY
Basketball was born in the early 1890s in the United
States of America. The game quickly grew and the early
competitions or leagues were formed by many of the
American colleges. It's a sport in which two teams of
five players each try to score points by throwing a
ball through a hoop or basket and is generally played
indoors.

BASKETBALL IN AUSTRALIA
The game was first established in 1927 in Victoria.
Most of the early teams had either military or church
affiliations.
The National Federation of Basketball was founded in
1939 which later became known as the Amateur
Basketball Union of Australia.
The first Australian Championships were hosted by the
Union in 1946.

BALTIC & HUNGARIAN IMMIGRATION
The game gained in popularity in the late 1940's with
the increase in post-World War II immigrants from the
Baltic states and later in the 50's with those leaving
Hungary for a new life in Australia.

AUSTRALIAN BASKETBALL TEAM -
1956 OLYMPIC GAMES
Australia first played Olympic games basketball at the
1956 Melbourne games. Two of the greatest influences
on basketball's growth were Ken Watson (the first
Olympic coach in 1956) and Lindsay Gaze who played a
major role in the growth of Basketball in Victoria as
well as representing Australia as a player (1960,
1964, and 1968) in the Olympic Games and then as Head
Coach in four successive Olympics (1972, 1976, 1980,
1984). At the Olympic Games the Australian mens team
is called the ‘Boomers’ while the women are called the
‘Opals’. In 1979 a Australian Nation Mens Basketball
League competition was formed & two years later a
National competition for women.

NORTHERN MIGRANT RESOURCE CENTRE BASKETBALL 
This project began when one of the NMRC staff, Rhonda
Hernandez, noticed that whilst watching her young boys
play basketball there were several young people of
African backgrounds watching without joining in. She
talked to the young people and they told her that they
had no uniforms and did not know how to join in. This
experience inspired the Refugee Youth Basketball
Program “Bridging the Gaps”, which continues to
receive funding from Vic Health. Since 2003, this
program has sparked enthusiasm from volunteers, many
of whom are members of Victorian Police. There are now
7 basketball teams with young people from Somali,
Tongan, Vietnamese, Samoan and Sudanese backgrounds.
For many, basketball is their first experience of
organized team sport with 61 young people currently
participating. This program has proven to be very
effective in removing barriers for young people by
providing them with transportation to and from games,
uniforms, coaching and equipment which is essential
for them to be able to play their favorite sport. For
further information, or if you would like to become
involved in this very exciting program, please contact
Rhonda Hernandez on 9484 7944

NRMC BANKSIA BULLS BASKETBALL TEAM
One of the Northern Migrant Resource Centre’s teams is
the Under 18 mens team called the Banksia Bulls. The
players come from a mixture of backgrounds with most
from an Indigenous background. The following is a
player profile of some of the team.

JOSHUA DHURRKAY
Joshua describes, “I was born in Darwin, Northern
Territory in 1990. Originally my people were from
Milingimbi which is an island off the coast of North
East Arnhem land. My dad Jacki speaks the ‘Grubabumu’
language while mum speaks ‘Djamburrah burnoor’. Our
peoples totem is the Green Tree Frog. I played heaps
of Aussie Rules football in the Northern Territory
during the wet season for the Djumbah Crows and was a
centre man. I came to Melbourne as a 10 year old
fellah in 2000 and go to the Northlands Secondary
College in Preston. I’ve been playing for the Banksia
Bulls for 1 year and I’m still keen on footy and have
started training with the Northern Knights footy team
in Preston”.

MAHAD HERSI
Mahad describes, “I was born in Mogadishu, the capitol
city of Somalia.
Both my parents Mariann and Ahmed left Somalia when
the country was at war. My father flew strait to
Australia while I went with my mum and brother to
Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. I was 2 years old when we all
left Somalia. In Australia we settled in the north of
Melbourne and I went to school at the Haig St Primary
School and was the second Somali kid to go to the
school. I also like playing soccer. My secondary
school is King Khalid College and I’ve played
basketball for the Banksia Bulls team for 2 years”.

NATHAN WILLIAMS
Nathan describes, “I was born in Melbourne in 1989. My
mums a kiwi (New Zealand) and dads a Melbourne boy. I
went to the Olympic Primary School and the Banksia
Secondary College. I’ve been playing basketball for 6
years with teams like the Diamond Valley Heat and
Ivanhoe Wildcats before coming to the Banksia Bulls 4
years ago. I’m the veteran of this team. Last year
(2005) our team finished in the middle of the ladder
and 2 years ago (2004) the Banksia Bulls nearly made
the finals. We play teams from Bundorra, Preston,
Reservoir, Eltham and Doncaster".

KULAN ‘COLIN’ BARNEY
Kulan describes, “I was born in Melbourne in 1989. Dad
was born in the Queensland town of Gympie. He’s a
‘murri’ and a ‘bunjalung’ fellah. His mum came from
the Torres Strait islands. My mums side of the family
is a mixture of the Warrnambool Gunditjmara koori’s
related to the Lovetts while mums dad is from an
Irish/Welsh background.
(Gunditjmara - ‘mara means man’ - ‘Gunditj means
Lake’) I went to Thornbury Primary School and
Northlands Secondary College and have played footy for
the Preston RSL and Reservoir Colts. I’ve lived in
Preston all my life and my favourite school subject is
Physical Education".

JAMES ELLIS
James describes, “I was born in Melbourne in 1988. Dad
was a northern New South Wales ‘murri’ indigenous
fellah while mums a Melbourne girl. I went to a few
Primary Schools and have been a Reservoir/Preston
person all my life. I go to the Northlands Secondary
College and as one of the taller fellahs play centre
with the Banksia Bulls. in the footy season I play for
the Reservoir Cults Footy Club".

JEFFERY ROSE
Jeffery describes, “I was born in September 1988. My
dad Noel Egan was born alongside the Murray River in
Robinvale. Dads related to the Baxters like Uncle
Bruce Baxter whos an elder in the Swan Hill area. Mums
born in Drouin in Gippsland. Shes a Koori women from
somewhere in Gippsland and my uncle, mums brother was
Lionel Rose - in 1968 he won the World Bantamweight
Boxing Champion beating Japans boxing champ Harada.
Lionel Rose was born in the early 1940's. Lionel grew
up in an aboriginal settlement called Jackson's Track
in Victoria. When Lionel was growing up he followed
his father who was also a boxer. My uncle saw boxing
as an escape from poor living in the country. He ended
up winning his first Australian amateur Flyweight
title when he was just fifteen. I go to school at the
Northlands Secondary College".

NMRC DRAGONS
Another team the Northern Migrant resource Centre
supports is the NMRC Dragons. This side is made up of
Australian teenage women from a Sudanese background.
17 years old Rina, who plays centre describes, “I fled
Sudan with my older sister in the late 1990s. I’ve
been living in Melbourne for two years. Two matches
into the season I think the team has got a long way to
go if were going to make the finals, but the main
thing is that I’m playing and making friends and I’m
having fun. Before the team started I just watched
basketball on TV, it was too hard to find a court, let
alone play”.