Proud hockey club celebrates

Associates Hockey Club is dusting off the record books as it prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year.

Founded by a group of teachers from Donnybrook, Associates has been a mainstay of the South West Hockey League for half a century.

Dissecting Donnybrook’s victory over Stratham in the 1964 decider, then-Donnybrook full back Roger Gordon proposed that “Any team prepared to train as a team can win the grand final”– and from that sentiment Associates was born the following year.

Originally fielding a line-up featuring almost exclusively teachers, State Electicity Commission and Post Masters General workers – all professions associated with government work – the club decided to name itself Associates.

Gordon was almost proved right in Associates very first season, the club making it to the final four before losing to Harvey in the semis.

They beat Stratham 1-0 to claim their maiden premiership the following year – fittingly, Gordon scoring the game’s only goal.

Flags have been few and far between for Associates since then but it remains one of the South West’s proudest sporting clubs and president Jon Taylor said it would put its history on display during a weekend of celebrations in May.

“We’re marking the club’s 50th on the weekend of May 23-25, ” he said.

“The Bunbury and Districts Hockey Association has scheduled the games for that weekend to coincide so our seconds and thirds play on the Friday night and our A-Grade teams play on the Saturday afternoon so that all the visitors and ex-players can come along and watch.

“On Saturday evening we have a function at the Lighthouse Inn that we are expecting around 200 people for and then on Sunday we have a legends game with many of the club’s past players taking part.”

Taylor said all past and present players and anyone associated with the club was welcome to attend.