Case of Australian hockey ‘reunion city’ at U18 Championships

Australia’s best Under 18 hockey talent was not the only elite hockey pedigree to congregate in Launceston for last week’s national championships.

Anyone who attended the Australian Under 18 Championships in the Tasmanian city would have been hard pressed not to see a host of past Kookaburras and Hockeyroos watching on.

The Under 18 tournament brought together a who’s who of former Australian national hockey stars with Olympic gold, silver and bronze medallists among them.

Hockey has always had a unique family connection but to have the concentration and calibre of that many former Australian hockey representatives in one place was something to behold.

Whether it was watching their own kids in action, in a coaching capacity or as part of their official role with Hockey Australia’s National Athlete Pathways Program (NAPP), there was no shortage of former Kookaburras and Hockeyroos enjoying the action on the field from the Under 18 event.

The list included:

Hockeyroos
Susan Brooks (nee Hill) (Hockeyroo #328.1) - Tasmanian coach who had twin daughters playing
Lisa Carruthers (nee Powell) (Hockeyroo #332) - son played for Victoria
Vanessa McDonald (nee Barnes) (Hockeyroo #334) - daughter played for Tasmania
Nova Peris (Hockeyroo #349) - Assistant Coach of NT Women’s team, daughter was playing
Bianca Pritchard (nee Langham) (Hockeyroo #363) - son played for Tasmania
Casey Sablowski (nee Eastham) (Hockeyroo #420) - Assistant Coach NSW U18 Women’s team

Kookaburras
Ben Bishop (Kookaburra #344) - Australia Junior Men’s Coach, Hockey Australia
Lee Bodimeade (Kookaburra #293) - Queensland National Training Centre Women’s Coach
Stuart Carruthers (Kookaburra #290) - son played for Victoria
Stephen Davies (Kookaburra #288) - son played for Western Australia
Mark Knowles (Kookaburra #348) - Hockey Australia National Athlete Pathway Program (NAPP) Technical Lead
Brent Livermore (Kookaburra #320) - Head Coach, NSW Institute of Sport Men’s Hockey Program
Peter Noel (Kookaburra #266) - son played for South Australia
Jay Stacy (Kookaburra #279) - Head Coach, Victorian Institute of Sport Men’s Hockey Program
David Wansbrough (Kookaburra #277) - daughter played for Victoria Development
Matthew Wells (Kookaburra #323) - High Performance Coach, Hockey Queensland

There may have even been more who snuck through the turnstiles incognito. What a treat to have so many former Hockeyroos and Kookaburras in the one place.