Wednesday, 19 June 2024

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:58): Earlier this month Nunawading Basketball hosted their annual King’s Birthday tournament over the weekend of 8 to 10 June. I know, President, this is a matter that is very close to your heart, because I understand you were there, and I am told, reliably, that you very much enjoyed the tournament that took place over that weekend. The King’s Birthday tournament is a Nunawading Basketball signature tournament and is the largest single-operator basketball tournament in Victoria. Over a thousand teams – 1030 to be exact – participated in the competition, with each team playing five times over the weekend.

Although Nunawading Basketball’s facilities only have five courts, they managed to find a total of 74 courts across the eastern suburbs to use for the tournament. Six hundred referees were hired for the weekend, giving so many people, particularly young people, important work experience and leadership skills. It was a wonderful investment for the players, and the tournament was a great fundraiser for the Nunawading basketball club. There was an enormous sense of community pride, with families and friends getting together to watch the games. Basketball plays such an important and positive role in the eastern suburbs and in my region, and I would like to shout out to the incredible team at Nunawading Basketball for putting this tournament together and congratulate them for their efforts.