Posted by This article appeared in the Australian Volleyball Journal, Vol 1.1, March 1976. The photos are courtesy of Kerry King. The author was not noted, but was probably Walter Lebedew.
The first international involvement for Australian teams in 1976 came with the Second Oceania Championships, played in Nelson, New Zealand, from 18th to 24th January. The tournament came close to being a complete fiasco as from eight nations and dependencies which nominated, only three lined up for the opening ceremony in the magnificent Trafalgar Center – the defending champions Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. It was a bitter disappointment for organisers and participants alike.
In simple terms, it is the old basic problem of lack of finance and the vast distances which have to be covered by prospective participants. Most South Pacific dependencies, having no aspirations to world class tournaments, prefer to concentrate their efforts on the South Pacific Games, where they gather in an interchange of cultural as well as sporting activities and enjoy the informal spirit of friendly rivalry. It is probable that the days of the Oceania concept in its present format are numbered and member nations which are intent on international participation will have to seek fulfilment elsewhere.
In spite of the low numbers, the tournament turned out to be enjoyable and successful. Over the seven day period each team played each other twice, with the two top teams playing off for the gold medal on the final day. As expected, Australia went through the tournament undefeated, the women winning all their matches in straight sets and the men dropping one set in the second last match against New Zealand. The Fijians failed to win a match although their overall improvement on the 1973 showing was impressive and they could have done well against other teams in the region.
The outstanding Australian players were Diane Biebrick (SA) and Jack Atkins (Vic), the former for a superb display of consistent all round play, the latter for unrelenting power hitting which withstood all attempts at containment. Strong support came from Julie Kelaher, Sue Dansie, Tony Naar and Hillary Ranniko.
After a 3-day stopover at Christchurch the teams returned with happy memories of New Zealand hospitality as well gold medals. No time or place has been set for the next a Championships and it may well be that there will not be another tournament in the foreseeable future.
Tagged – Australian Volleyball History, Volleyroos, Australian National Team
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