The popular tourist town of Kalbarri, which lies 500km north of Perth, has leant on Netball as an unlikely calling of community in the years following Cyclone Seroja.
The category three severe tropical cyclone tore through an estimated 70 per cent of Kalbarri’s infrastructure in April 2021, inflicting approximately $200 million in damage, but remarkably the Kalbarri Sport and Recreation Centre managed to avoid major damage.
Despite its proximity to the centre of the town, the netball centre only lost the north-side fences, with minor flooding and damage to the clubrooms and club shed.
Kalbarri Netball Association President Nicole Kielman said the committee and associated tennis club got together shortly after the cyclone to give the community a place to come together during a time of grief.
“We hosted a busy bee around a month after the cyclone,” she said.
“Our focus was to get Netball and tennis up and running to give our community something to look forward to, for it to be a place where we can get together to laugh, cry and process what happened.
“Netball became a way of taking our mind off what happened.”
The Kalbarri Netball Association was able to get their season up and running by 12 June 2021, only five weeks after the regular season was due to start.
Netball WA donated $2500 to the Kalbarri Netball Association to assist the recovery, allowing the association to significantly reduce fees for NetSetGO and junior players.
In the time since the cyclone, Netball has grown to be the largest organised sport in Kalbarri.
Ms Kielman said the 2021 season engaged community, local business and players unlike it has seen before.
“We moved Netball from Saturday afternoons to Monday night to give Netball a distinctive time and place in our community,” she said.
“We had local businesses come in and provide food at the games as well as donate money towards new uniforms for our players.”
The committee introduced a mixed competition, helping grow the number of members at the club to more than 100.
“We had a number of tradies and workers from around the State who were in town to help the cyclone recovery actually come and join our mixed competition,” she said.
Shire of Northampton President Liz Sudlow said Netball has been “vitally important” in guiding the Kalbarri community through the past two and a half years.
“Recovering from the devastation caused by Cyclone Seroja has been incredibly challenging for the community of Kalbarri,” she said.
“In times after tragedy, sport is incredibly important. Kalbarri is a proud community, with many hardworking volunteers who love the community.
“Netball has played a vital role in enabling community members to come together and enjoy the game and connect with others.”
Ms Sudlow extended her congratulations to the Kalbarri Netball Association in helping improve the health and wellbeing of the game in the community.
As the association continues to grow, Ms Kielman said the committee hopes to introduce Walking Netball for the upcoming season.
This coincides with the Kalbarri Netball Association re-entering a team in the 2023 Midwest Gascoyne Regional Championship for the first time since 2001.
The 2024 Kalbarri Netball Association season is due to start in May. If you are interested in playing Netball, please visit www.wa.netball.com.au/get-involved.
By. Tom Shanahan
