Ten families attached to Goulburn Hockey Association are stranded between Orange and Bathurst following their win [on Monday, November 14] at the NSW Indoor Hockey state championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Coach and Goulburn Hockey Association vice president James Hanger said half of the girls division one under 15s team made it as far as Bathurst. However, the remainder was still in Orange where the finals were played.
READ MORE:
"Some of them stayed, or were heading home and then couldn't get back because of the floods, so they had to go back to Orange," Mr Hanger said.
In Bathurst, the team was trapped on one side of a rising river.
"We tried a few different ways but we couldn't get across. There's no way through," Mr Hanger said.
"I have no idea of how long we will be stranded for. The only way home from here will be to Penrith and back across, which will probably be about a six-hour trip instead of two-and-a-half hours."
Mr Hanger said hockey was a sport known for being close-knit. He said families from the other associations, who stayed back to watch the girls play in the final, now found themselves stranded.
"A couple of families stayed back to watch because they're friendly with the other girls," he said. "And now they're stuck, whereas if they'd left early they would have got through. They're cursing us."
Despite being stranded at an old convent, Mr Hanger said the team was in good spirits.
"Morale is up, and at least we've got a gold medal around our necks," he said.
"They're a pretty good little group, they're actually back-to-back champions. This team also won the outdoor state championships in division one, so it's quite a feat. A lot of people will go through their whole life without winning a state championship let alone two in a year. It's a great achievement for a small town."
Mr Hanger was proud that Goulburn Hockey was able to compete and win against big associations out of Sydney and Newcastle.
"To be producing and doing what these girls are doing is fantastic," he said.
Mr Hanger said the team members stuck in Bathurst were heading for a celebratory dinner, and the girls in Orange had already had their nails done.
"We've managed to get some accommodation at an old convent at the base of Mount Panorama," Mr Hanger said.
"We're doing a lot better than some of the others. The kids from Parkes didn't get to play. They had to forfeit their game due to the floods, and some of their families lost their homes."
Mr Hanger said the championship event was clouded by stories of devastation.
"It was a bit hard for some of the girls because these are people they've known since they were kids that have lost their homes," he said.
"Molong Hockey, which is a small town just outside of Orange, has battled and battled to get their hockey fields. It's a small, tiny little community and they lost their hockey fields last night.
"Bathurst will be the same. They will have lost their fields. Even though we've got a gold medal around our neck we know that we're lucky to have a bed. There are a lot of people people far worse off."
Sally Foy
Regional reporter based in the Southern Highlands. I am also a mother and advocate for children with a disability and epilepsy.
Regional reporter based in the Southern Highlands. I am also a mother and advocate for children with a disability and epilepsy.
