Before she even took to the court, Ellen Sykes was ingrained in the Gormandale Football Netball Club.
She watched her grandparents Bill and Shirley Onley, and her mother Pat Jennings, contribute countless volunteer hours to the club - a commitment Sykes continues to uphold today in service of her local community.
Gormandale Football Netball Club is the central hub and heart of the small eastern Victorian town - population 321 - situated between Yarram and Traralgon.
The club has over 200 members who come together to support their football and netball teams on Saturdays and socialise over a meal after Thursday night training.
“It's a special place. It's like a second family,” said Sykes.
Currently the club’s vice president, Sykes’ ongoing contribution to Gormandale on and off the court was recently recognised with inauguration into the club’s Hall of Fame. She joins her grandparents and mother in the Hall of Fame, making her the third generation of her family to be bestowed with this honour.
New Hall of Fame members were inducted in May, including fellow prominent club netballers Michelle Robinson, Stacey King, Rebecca Gardiner, Casey Callanan, Jodie Mills, and Lorelle Nolan - many of whom have also followed in their parents’ footsteps.
Founded in 1898, Gormandale Football Netball Club has a long and proud history that is reflected in its club rooms.
“You walk into the Gormandale club rooms and all of the walls are covered in photos of past players, photos of life members, photos of premiership sides,” said Sykes.
“Watching as a child and seeing that success and looking up to those people that made that happen… you feel like you just want to keep it going. You want you to provide that fuzzy feeling for everyone else that you got to experience.”
The club is currently in a rebuild phase, hoping to transfer their strong culture into more wins on the board across its netball and football sides competing in the North Gippsland Football Netball League.
“I think a lot of people thought we were going into recession, and we were just going to disappear, but we’re well and truly here,” said Sykes.
Gormandale’s netball program has recently been bolstered by the return of coach and fellow Hall of Famer Greta Douch to lead its A and B grade sides. From 2002 to 2015, Douch took Gormandale netballers to 29 grand finals, and attained 17 premierships over the four grades she coached.
“She’s phenomenal," said Sykes of Douch.
“Junior development will also be a big focus over the next few years and trying to encourage kids - especially out here when we're so far away from town - to get involved and have a crack.”
Gormandale wouldn't be viable without volunteers like Sykes who manage the club’s administration, facilities, and strive for the best community outcomes.
It’s a self-described “full-time job on top of a full-time job,” so what does Sykes get out of it?
“I do it because I love to see them succeed. It’s rewarding to see it get up off the ground and run each week, but it's giving people an outlet. It's giving people somewhere to come together,” Sykes said.
“The other reason I do it is because it's been ingrained in me because my mum did it, my grandparents did it, and that's just what you do in a small community…
“We felt like we owed it to those people that were before us that were family or close friends who had put so much time and effort into a place that we love. We owe it to them to give it a go and keep it going.”
Sykes also loves the game of netball, which she’s now played on and off for close to 35 years. She steps out on court each week alongside her sister-in-law Carly Jennings (also a club Hall of Fame member) who competes in A grade, and her daughter Emily in under 17s.
All are welcome at Gormandale, whether that’s playing on the netball court, or socialising in the club rooms. Sykes encourages new members to join, building on the legacy, community and success that’s been fostered by the club for almost 130 years.
“It's a family friendly club. I've made some great memories and some great friendships there,” Sykes said.
“I couldn't imagine my life without it.”
