Embedded Files
Softball and its faster, harder, smaller-balled, longer-batted, overarm pitching cousin, baseball, had been an sport in New Zealand for decades when it appeared in an organised form in the Southern Bays.
A Canadian, Bill Wilson, had promoted the sport in his role as a manager at the Ford Motor company in Seaview in the 1930s. But 50 years earlier there were games of the ‘novelty sport’ at Newtown Park and a Wellington Baseball Club was formed.
The showing of American movies also help to familiarlise people with the game.
Evening Post 27 August 1927, Page 5
But Bill Wilson’s efforts are the direct ancestor of the modern sport which by the late 1930s saw the re-establishment of a Wellington Baseball Association and the develoment of teams based on businesses and on suburbs.
World War ll disrupted softball as it did many voluntary organisations as men and women went overseas or we ‘manpowered’ into new roles at home and encouraged to volunteer their time for the Home Guard, fundraising and ‘digging for victory’ in their home gardens.
But the war was also good for baseball and softball. It wa a favorite sport of the United States troops passing through New Zealand on their way to the Pacific war. The Marines supplied gear to the local Association, allowing teams that had played using garden gloves, tennis balls, shovel handles and other improvised equipment to play the game to a much higher standard. They set up baseball diamonds on Wakefield Park which were available for use by local clubs. The Marines were said to play softball as well as baseball because of the need for the balls not to travel so far on the decks of aircraft carriers. They were able to coach the locals in some basic but important skills such as using full body weight when batting and pitching and not relying solely on the strength of arms and wrists.
On 31 January 1943, 25,000 spectators packed into Wellington’s Athletic Park to watch an exhibition game of baseball between two US Marine teams.
A still from a ‘Weekly Review’ newsreel of the US Marine’s demonstation match at Athletic Park Archives New Zealand Reference: Weekly Review No. 77, 1943
When the Americans left in 1943 they left behind at Wakefield Park four complete sets of baseball gear in good condition, three home plates and four extra pitcher plates.
This was the context in which two Southern Bay familes decided to organise the sport in the Southern Bays. The families, the Hancocks of Island Bay and the Harlens of Ōwhiro Bay, were related.
Ellen and George Hancock and their four sons Des, Les, Bruce and Arthur were all enthusiastic. Ellen’s sister Ivy, Mrs Harlen’s family joined in with Greta, Frank, Valerie, Bruce, Bill, Tom and Diane all playing. Frank was a pitcher for the club for years before moving to Lower Hutt and playing for the Cardinals.
The two families joined up with Island Bay School which had a team playing on Wednesday eveningd and Saturday morningd. The school team raised funds by raffling half pounds of tea – a valuable prize because tea was rationed. Tickets were a penny.
The first meetings to establish a club in Island Bay were held in the Hancock family’s dining room at 17 Derwent St early in 1943, constituting itself with a President, Secretary, and Treasurer and applying for affiliation to the Association.
Ellen Hancock insisted on her house rules applying to club meetings: one intriguing superstitious custom - when a person with dark hair visited she made them go in through the back door, straight through the house to the front door, out and around the back door again. She also insisted that ‘only men wear trousers’ and no woman so garbed was allowed in the house.
The teams first match, five days after affiliation in October 1943 ended in a loss to the Broadway Demons.
The first uniform of the club was a white shirt and trousers with the shirt sporting an oval insignia with crossed bats and ‘Island Bay Softball Club’ in gold letters on the front. Mrs Hancock and Mrs Harlen were responsible for both the design and the stitching. There was some discussion with the Assocition about their preference for the word ‘baseball’ but the families chose to stick with ‘softball’.
Training began in 1944 with games played mostly between club members on the top field at Wakefield Park. There was some dispute with cricket over the use of the park and cricket won. Softball moved to nearby Emerson St Park (now part of Mornington Gold Club). There had been four diamonds at Wakefield Park.
In 1944-45, Island Bay fielded (if that is the right word) three teams: one Senior B team playing softball and two, Senior A and Senior B playing baseball.
A lack of players hit the club towards the end of 1945 and following the Hancock family withdrawing and their players joining other clubs, Island Bay Softball went into recess, to terturn, led by Arthur Hancock as President in late 1946. There was a brief flirtation with changing the name to ‘TipTop’ because of that company’s sponsorship and the participation of staff. ‘Island Bay’ however, was the chosen name. Arthur Hancock requested that the Association transfer 12 players to the revitalised club to make up for numbers lost and this was agreed.
By the time the seventh Anuual General meeting came around in 1951 the Hancocks and Harlens, who until then had held all senior positions stepped back and others took up the roles. The meeting was well attended and although as usual held at 17 Derwent St had to be moved outdoors for lack of space. Dr A Sternberg became the Patron, SL Lambert the President and Des Hancock the Club Captain. Mrs Ellen Harlen was made the first life member.
Practice at this time was held every Saturday afternoon from the end of September on a diamond in the Island Bay School grounds. Bruce Harlen bought 25 pounds worth of gear to replace the old Marine equipment still in use; the club held fundraising events to reimburse him.
By mid-October 1951 the Island Bay Softbll Club had 3 men’s and two women’s teams entered in club compeitions. It was a very sucessful season with eight members selected for the Colts Rep team. The first women’s team was Ellen Ellis, Lorraine Sutton, June Petherick, Ngaire Halcox, Lesley Tudor (Captain), Shirley Tudor, Wendy Arthur, June Holland, Tat Tudor and Dawn Adams. Frank Harlen was coach.
1953 Alexander Turnbull Library 1/1-030383-F PA-Group 00349 Crown Studios Limited
1953 1/1-030367-F Crown Studios Alexander Turnbull Library.
Mrs Diane McCluskie joined the committee in 1952 and on 3 February a Club Day was held for all players at the Ōwhiro Bay School grounds. The Hancock residence was no longer big enough for meetings so they continued at Vince Paino’s hall at the back of 34 Derwent St. The Paino family were early Italian immigrants to Island Bay. Antonio Paino and his nephew Vince lived at number 34 and built the hall at the back to rent to local organisations. The RSA met there for a time. It’s now a Buddist Centre.
In September 1952 Antonio Paino became patron and S Lambert President, following a short period in which Ron Rogers held the position.
All three Hancock brothers were elected to life membership. Frank Harlen was by this time the Secretary of the Wellington Softball Association.
In the same year the club moved from Wakefield Park to Martin Luckie Park to practice because Island Bay, Berhampore and a new club, Southern were all using Wakefiled Park at the same time on Tuesday and Thursdays despite there being room for only two diamonds. Within a year dissatisfaction with the boggy state of Martin Luckie forced a move to Wellington Technical College (now the High School) for practice. The girls’ team were in a bit of trouble in 1953: they were practising on a Sunday, some thought likely ‘to prejudice the sport’ and using foul language during a game.
A uniform change was introduced, with Island Bay’s kit now all white, other than a blue stripe down the trouser legs, a blue and white cap and blue socks.
The Club has gone from strength to strength and celebrated its 75th birthday in 2018. Island Bay's issue with the Council constantly declining use of Wakefield Park was finally resolved when Wakefield underwent a major development in the late 1990s and artificial turf was laid. The park to the south was kept in grass and the Council allowed softball to be played there permanently.
The club currently has softball teams, Baseball teams and runs a community slowpitch competition in the southern suburbs of Wellington.
Chris Rabey is working on a full history of the Island Bay Softball Club which is due to go to print this year. We look forward to it!
Google Sites
Report abuse