The origins of Country Week for netball (first known as women’s basketball) stretch back more than 90 years in Victoria, with the first tournament staged in Melbourne, from June 2 to 4, 1928. In fact, various other sports - notably cricket and tennis, but also bowls and hockey - staged their own version of Country Week before netball did, helping to set the template for such events whereby country teams would gather together once a year for a round-robin competition, usually during a long weekend.
At the inaugural Country Week for netball, 10 teams were initially scheduled to compete - representing Traralgon, Bairnsdale, Orbost, Kerang, Swan Hill, Echuca, Camperdown, Benalla, Bendigo, and Shepparton - although it seems that not all of them took part in the tournament. The matches were held at the Teachers’ Training College Grounds in Carlton, and, as noted in the press, Orbost and Echuca eventually played off in the final, with the Orbost team (adopting "low, swift passing", rather than using high aerial work), defeating their opponent by a margin of 30 to 15.
A large crowd of spectators gathered on the Monday, and Association President, Louise Mills, presented all players who participated in the final with commemorative ribbons (bearing the badge and initials of the Victorian Women's Basket Ball Association). Of note is the fact that a precious and delicate ribbon from the 1928 Country Week tournament still survives as part of Netball Victoria’s Edith Hull Collection.
However, by the time of the above photograph - taken at the Exhibition Buildings in Melbourne and published in the Argus newspaper on May 31, 1950 - the Country Week tournament had grown in leaps and bounds, with 78 teams competing. It is a competition that has continued to grow and expand, and it remains a highlight of the netball calendar in Victoria. Accordingly, Netball Victoria continues to collect and catalogue a range of memorabilia from these events, including programs, photographs, correspondence, results and reports.
