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Blowing the Whistle: The Inspiring Journey of 71-Year-Old Netball Umpire Ted Beedles
Blowing the Whistle: The Inspiring Journey of 71-Year-Old Netball Umpire Ted Beedles

18 October 2024, 8:00 PM

Ted Beedles was 45 years old when he began umpiring netball down at Gainsborough. The year was 1999, but the origin story of Ted’s umpiring career began a year earlier when he was watching his two daughters play on a Saturday.“The lady who was the coach of the team that my older daughter was in said to me, ‘Umpire!’ And I replied, ‘Yeah, okay I’ll have a go.’”Ted had tried his hand at umpiring and refereeing cricket and touch football—sports he had played before, which meant he was somewhat familiar with the rules. He states he was always a better umpire/referee than player.But he learned the rules of netball and passed the exam, beginning to umpire every week in 1999 with an instructor behind him, correcting him whenever he made a mistake.“I had Terry Moran running behind me blowing her whistle and telling me I had missed some sort of error, contact, obstruction or whatever it was I missed. I slowly started to pick things up and gained a bit more confidence. I would start hearing good things from Terry rather than the criticisms,” says Ted.One month and two days before he turned 50, Ted was awarded his C Badge in netball umpiring, which allowed him to umpire more games, teach younger umpires, and demonstrate his experience to coaches and spectators.Ted then became even more involved with netball through the administrative side. He started as registrar and then became umpires convenor for Gainsborough. After this, he served as umpires convenor for Kiama Netball Association for nine years.“Umpires convenor entails things like organising the umpire’s exam—a paper exam twice a year—which involves coordinating people to come in and take the test. You’d also organise umpires to go to different carnivals throughout the year—all the state titles,” says Ted.But Ted’s passion is for umpiring; he simply can’t get enough of it. He finds it hard to describe the feeling he experiences when running back and forth on the court, but he knows he loves it.“I don’t know how to put it into words, I just love being involved. I’m playing netball each week, but I’m playing the umpire position—not wing defence, or wing attack or centre—I’m umpire. But I’m playing,” says Ted.The difficult side of umpiring is that umpires are only human and can only call what they see, which means they may make mistakes. He cites a moment from his training as a great example of this.“One of the senior umpires came down with a video of her umpiring a game. The video was taken from the opposite side of the court from where she was. In the video, there was an incident where she called a contact,” says Ted.“From the video, we knew she was wrong. But she said, ‘The view on my side looked like it was the other way,’ and she only knew she was wrong from watching the video. So, where you are makes a difference to how you see what happened.”So, umpires do unfortunately receive unfair criticism from players and spectators. Although Ted says he is old enough to not let it affect him, he believes it can discourage bright and talented umpires from continuing.“It’s very frustrating for me because we have a lot of good competent umpires, and especially the young ones; once they have a bad experience with a team, we lose them,” says Ted.He believes a good umpire is consistent with their calls. He recalls a game where he was forced to umpire a grand final between Gainsborough and another club, despite the potential for a conflict of interest.“We usually try to avoid that, but that day we didn’t have enough adequate umpires available, so I had to. The other coach said after the game that she didn’t always agree with my decisions, but she felt that I was consistent. I think that is the best feedback an umpire can get,” says Ted.The best games to umpire are the ones that flow continuously. This is when Ted feels most in tune with the game—when both umpires and players work together to create a seamless and beautiful flow.Ted has many highlights in his long umpiring career, including grand finals and state championship games. However, he remembers one particular game he umpired with his daughter as one of his best experiences.“The day before my 64th birthday, I umpired a game between Central and Beachettes. The umpire on the other side of the court was my daughter Annette. At a normal game here in Kiama, if the two teams between them score 80 goals—that’s a reasonable game. We umpired that game and at the end of it, it was a draw 64-64, which was funny because I turned 64 the next day,” says Ted.“And that was a fantastic game because it flowed, and I was confident enough to call the advantages and let the game keep going, instead of stopping for penalties. If I can see a game that flows, and I’m helping that, then that really pleases me.”In addition to his enjoyment of the game, Ted emphasises that the friendships he has formed with both young and old—whether they are players, umpires, coaches, or administrators—have been invaluable.In 2024, Ted unfortunately broke his rib and was unable to umpire for part of the year. However, he maintains that he will be back and ready to go for the next season, hoping to inspire more men to get involved in the great sport of netball!

Kiama Triathlon: A river of success
Kiama Triathlon: A river of success

16 October 2024, 4:05 AM

The first Kiama Triathlon, hosted by Elite Energy on October 13, was a huge success, drawing hundreds of competitors and visitors to the area. The event saw 458 athletes tackle the standard and sprint events, bringing a crowd of visitors to the area to watch the competition, providing a significant boost to local businesses and amenities.“There would have been around 800 out of towners if you include partners. So, the event finished around 10 and I’m betting there’s a good chance people were looking for coffee, breakfast or lunch afterward,” says Kiama Triathlon Club Vice President Geoff Besnard.23 members of the Kiama Triathlon Club (KTC) competed and many of those earned themselves a place on the podium. Other than competing, members of KTC and the local Kiama Run Club volunteered to ensure the event ran smoothly.Besnard says the feedback has all been positive, both locals and competitors praising the event. The biggest hit of the day? The swim leg in the Minnamurra River, the waters in pristine condition. “I’m yet to hear any negative feedback,” says Besnard. “Bike course worked very well. Due to the restricted traffic - no one complained about issues with cars. That river is the best place to swim, everybody raved about it. It’s crystal clear and the tide was helping everyone - so everyone was quite pleased.”Besnard says that he is hopeful the overwhelmingly positive feedback signals that the event could become an annual fixture for Kiama.“I suspect it will be back. I think it was enough of a success and the locals seemed to embrace it. People I’ve been talking to have said that everywhere they went there were people hanging over fences watching,” says Besnard.“There is nothing to suggest, as long as Council are on board, that it wouldn’t become an annual event going forward.”The Kiama Triathlon Club expressed their gratitude via Facebook, stating, “A big thanks to both KTC and Kiama Run Club members who volunteered to ensure the event ran seamlessly.”They also acknowledged the support from local residents in Minnamurra and Kiama Downs, many of whom set up outside their homes to cheer on the athletes. Special recognition was given to a group of innovative young boys who organised a home bake sale, with hopes that they made some worthwhile pocket money!

Annie Boulton on the healing power of ‘pink paddling’ for breast cancer survivors
Annie Boulton on the healing power of ‘pink paddling’ for breast cancer survivors

15 October 2024, 11:08 PM

Towards the end of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 300 breast cancer survivors and supporters from around Australia and New Zealand will descend on Hobart for this year’s Pink Paddle Power Regatta. This dragon boating event is organised by Dragons Abreast Australia and the local team, Dragons Abreast Hobart.Dragon boating may be a surprising fighter against Breast Cancer, but evidence supports its healing benefits. It used to be widely believed that women treated for breast cancer should avoid rigorous upper body exercise for fear of developing lymphoedema, a debilitating and chronic side effect of treatment. Dr Don McKenzie, a professor in the Department of Sports Medicine (Canada), challenged this theory in 1996.Dr McKenzie started with 24 female breast cancer volunteers ranging in age from 32 to 64. Dragon boating was chosen due to its strenuous and repetitive movements on the upper body. For three months, he taught and trained them in dragon boating, and at the end, none had lymphoedema.The women involved reported feeling fitter, healthier, and happier, finding a sense of regaining control over their lives. They realised the impact this could have for many survivors and kept paddling, naming their team ‘Abreast in a Boat’ and inviting others to join.Dragons Abreast Australia (DAA) was born in 1998. Through the hard work and drive of Michelle Hanton (OAM), a breast cancer survivor herself, ‘Pink Paddling’ began, and the organisation now has more than 1,100 members from around the country in 29 DAA group clubs and celebrated 25 years of advocacy in 2023.Annie Boulton, a member of DA Illawarra, was diagnosed with breast cancer just after she celebrated her 50th birthday. Like many diagnosed, she felt the heavy weight of such a life-changing diagnosis. After numerous rounds of chemotherapy and surgery, she retired early and moved to Kiama for a change of scenery.Annie found support and friendship through the Illawarra Breast Cancer Support Group, which led her to meet three of the founding members of Dragons Abreast Illawarra—Helen Bent, Catherine Holland, and Lesley Gal.Initially hesitant to join the dragon boating team, Annie said, “I told them that I was Irish, and we are not known to like swimming/water sports. I preferred land-based exercise.” The women persisted, and eventually, in October 2013, Annie relented, taking her first paddles on the water. “Since then, I haven’t looked back, and I cherish my time at the club and wherever it takes me.”In addition to being a paddler, Annie has become a sweep (steering the boat), a coach, and has paddled competitively and socially all over the world. “I have paddled 200m races to marathons. 26 miles up the Thames River, 55 km on the Ord River, 44 km on the Derwent, and 33 km on the Venice canals and around the Venetian islands.”Annie is thrilled to be the sole representative for the DA Illawarra in the upcoming ‘Pink Paddle Power Regatta’ in Hobart this year from October 25-27, run by Dragons Abreast Australia, connecting pink paddlers from all around Australia and New Zealand.Reflecting on her fight against Breast Cancer, Annie now focuses on enjoying what she has rather than what she doesn't have, appreciating the family and friends that show love and support, not looking too far ahead while planning opportunities to paddle PINK around the country and the world, and continuing to help other breast cancer survivors through her work with Dragons Abreast Australia.Illawarra Dragons Abreast currently has 35 members and trains at 8:15 am on Saturdays and Sundays, and at 5:00 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays alongside the Illawarra Dragon Boating Club at The Rowing Club in Warrawong. A ‘Pink Paddle’ is held on the first Saturday of every month, with the next one taking place on Saturday, 2nd November. If you're interested in joining, you can contact Annie on 0434 563 095.DAA is a not-for-profit. If you would like to donate or join a team, you can visit Dragons Abreast Australia.

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