WATCH: Best of the best honoured at Northerns’ 50th dinner

A befitting golden anniversary (50 years) gala dinner was held on September 23, to celebrate Benoni Northerns Sports club’s rich history and the inspirational journeys of homegrown stars in Benoni.

Various sportsmen and women who have significantly contributed to the game and the well-being of the club were honoured at the clubhouse hall with certificates and trophies for their sporting excellence.

The first award, club person of the year, went to Logan Green, a former City Times sports journalist.

Presenting the award, club chairperson Emma da Silva said Green dedicated many hours to the club on the sports field and off.

“Logan represented Northerns in a variety of sports, including football, cricket and athletics.

“Off the field, he has been instrumental in documenting all of the club’s achievements for our golden jubilee edition of The Scimitar magazine.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without him,” said Da Silva.

Junior sportsperson of the year went to cricketer Madison Landsman, who has been selected as captain of the Eastern Gauteng U19 ladies cricket team and she forms part of the ladies U19 team to represent South Africa at the World Cup in 2023.

Walking away with a silver trophy and the club’s blazer, athlete Shane Mc Gregor was crowned the senior sports person of the year, an award which was inaugurated in 1982 by the club chairman at the time, John Snell.

Five other nominees in this category didn’t go home empty-handed as they were presented with a certificate and the club’s golf shirt.

The nominees were Gareth Long (baseball), Rian van der Merwe (cricket), Nyakallo Mokoena (football), Gavin Oosthuizen (hockey) and Jeffery Geral (rugby).

About the club
A tribute was also dedicated to life members – those sportsmen and women who have over a long period contributed their time and talent to the club and its members.

Some of the club’s founding members that were honoured included John Hawkins and Ted Jarvis.

Also Read: Benoni Northerns turns 50

Jarvis then took attendees down memory lane to where everything began.

According to Jarvis, who was a formidable competitor in hockey and cricket and a member of the club for about 46 years, the Benoni Northern Areas Sports Club was established in 1972 with the amalgamation of St Patricks CC and the Benoni Hockey Club.

“Ideally situated in the suburbs and close to schools our club’s locality couldn’t have been better. Twis Dudley, Dave Wilson, Ray van der Wagen, Ivan Dekker and Tony Metzer are some of the men that can be credited with being the founding members of Northerns in 1972.”

Jarvis said in 1976 he got a call from Graham Bolton asking him to play hockey at Northerns.

He said at his first practice he made friends and to this day they are still friends after 45 years.

“ Northerns is the place where everlasting friends are made. A club is like a business, it’s about its leadership and the people within it who enjoy a shared vision, coupled with the ability and determination to succeed by creating a competitive advantage over rival clubs.”

He said during the 70s and early 80s it was all about hockey, where both men and women won their leagues for several years with numerous players gaining provincial honours.

“The club was a well-structured unit with passionate members committed to succeeding. John Hawkins started mini hockey at Northerns, one of the first mini hockey playing clubs in the country.

“In the mid-80s the Valmetrex Junior Coaching Clinic was started under Jim Pressdee, Denis Lindsay and Jerry Russel. Our juniors were the first junior club to host games under lights at Willowmoore Park,” Jarvis said.

The life member ended his speech by sharing that the success and survival of any club can only become a reality if its financial management is sound – no money, no club, ” he said.

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