GROWING IN THE SIXTIES

The Joan Horner Era (1963 – 1972)

In the latter part of 1963, Joan Horner was approached by Moira Clarke to give some assistance to the A Grade team. This led to Joan’s appointment as A Grade coach in 1964. She continued in this position until 1972. The late Joan Horner is a Life Member of our Club. Her support of Contax continued long after this era, as she addressed players and parents at official club functions until the mid nineties. In 1965, player subs were 4 pound 10 shillings ($9), and one new ball was purchased.

In 1966, the Club took a big step forward in growth. In the past, Contax had only fielded senior teams. Pauline Fielden introduced junior training at Daly Oval Courts, Hectorville. Contax entered 2 Primary teams consisting of 16 girls who had never played before. A junior team was added to this in 1969. Uniform hire in this era was $1 per year. In 1969, the A Grade team plus 2 officials flew to Woomera for an exhibition and coaching weekend. 1970 produced the second premiership for the Contax Club. This was an amazing result, given that Contax finished 4th in the minor round. Contax defeated hot favourites, Garville by 9 goals in the Grand Final. By this time, the Club had grown to 5 senior teams and 4 junior teams. SAWBBA introduced a fine of 10c for orange peel left around the courts. They also produced a monthly basketball newsletter. 1971 saw a name change to our sport. Basketball was out. Our game would now be known as it is today, netball. 2 Intermediate teams were fielded for the first time. Jan Noel organised the junior teams, a job she carried out for a number of years. [hr]