MARCH PAST

In this our Centenary year all teams performed particularly well and although we again did not come away with any Australian gold medals from Kurrawa, Collaroy had three Senior teams and an U/23 team on the beach highlighting our strength as a March Past club. This season Paul de Kort, not just content with coaching our highly successful Ladies team, assembled a third Senior team made up of reserves from both the Bears and Ladies teams along with R & R members and naming it the Collaroy Rebels. At the Branch Championships held on our beach, Collaroy fielded three Senior teams, an U/23 and an U/17 team which would be a record for the number of teams in this event. Congratulations to the members of all our teams on the following achievements -:

Australian Open Heat : Bears 2^nd, Ladies 5^th, Rebels 12^th.

Australian Open Final : Ladies 5^th, Bears 8^th, Rebels 11^th, U/23 2^nd.

State (Kingscliff) : Bears 1^st, Ladies 2^nd, Rebels 8^th, U/23 1^st, U14 2^nd. Handicap Point score: Bears 1^st, Ladies 2^nd.

Branch (Collaroy) : Bears 1^st, Ladies 2^nd, Rebels 5^th, U/23 1^st, U/17 1^st, U/14 1^st.  Handicap Point score : Bears 1^st, Ladies 2^nd, U/14 2^nd.

Ladies Team

The Collaroy Ladies team once again had a fabulous season overall but unfortunately we were unable to take away any of the Titles coming agonizingly close in each one. Once again our competitive rivalry on the marching arena with the Bears team saw both teams pushing each other to perform at their best resulting in both teams finishing in first and second places at the majority of the carnivals. 

The season kicked off with our annual trip toCavesBeachfor a training weekend where we trained hard during the day and enjoyed many drinks and at times hysterical laughter during the party games in the evening. The beginning of the season saw us performing reasonably well coming 2^ndatNorth Cronulla, 4^that Queenscliff and 2^ndat Wanda. Things started coming together after that with two solid wins which saw us taking out the prestigious Manly and Freshwater carnivals. Our good form continued into the Branch Titles where we went around the course with the lowest points but were relegated into 2^ndplace behind the Bears under the middle mark system.

The State Titles saw everyone having to travel up to Kingscliff where we were greeted with heavy rainfall for the event. The Ladies team marched around the arena in the lowest points overall but once again the middle marking system saw us relegated into 2^ndplace behind the Bears. Although disappointed in not winning it was a relief to come away with a medal and great to see the Collaroy club filling the top two places on the dais showing how strong our club is in this event.

A few short weeks later we headed back up the coast to Kurrawa for the Australian Titles with the course being awkwardly shaped due to the beach erosion which put off a number of teams throughout the weekend. Our aim for the heat was to finish within the Top 5 which we achieved finishing in 5^thplace. The final saw the Ladies have the privilege of leading all the teams onto the arena where they received numerous cheers of support from the crowd as they went around. Once again the Ladies performed very well but still couldn’t quite master the awkward wheeling pegs. The final results revealed a five way count back for first place but unfortunately we were relegated into 5^thplace behind the eventualwinnersCavesBeach. To come so agonizingly close once again was very disappointing but it certainly shows what a great team they are and how competitive they can be amongst the best teams inAustralia.  I certainly believe that their consistency will eventually be rewarded at the Aussies and one day they will be able to call themselves Australian Champions – hopefully that will be next season.

A special mention this year goes to Sue Perry who did a fantastic job by filling in nearly every position in the team throughout the season without any fuss and became a very valuable member of the team ensuring that we were able to have a full team every time at training and carnivals. She also put the team before her at the Aussie Titles by stepping down for the Friday march therefore allowing the team to remain unchanged for the final on Sunday. Thanks Sue for your great sportsmanship.

Also thanks to John Fahey for his help throughout the season by casting his expert eye across the team and offering words of advice to the coach, along with helping out in a variety of ways to make the coaches job a little bit easier. More importantly it was good to have another male person for the coach to converse with on important topics like sport and horse racing to keep the coaches sanity intact.

The Ladies team would like to thank Sharvain for their generous sponsorship to help the team throughout the year and we are very appreciative of your donation.

Overall the team performed consistently well throughout the season and achieved some great results which they should be very proud of. Next season will be the 10^thyear since the Ladies team was formed and it is amazing how quickly this time has passed. Hopefully the team will get just a little bit of luck go their way at the Aussies and maybe they can come away with that elusive gold medal in the Centenary year although I’m sure the Bears team may have something to say about that. Congratulations Ladies on such a wonderful season and doing the Club proud. Have a safe winter and see you all again next season.

Rebels Team 

This season saw the inaugural appearance of the Rebels team in the Open March Past event who were made up of members of varying abilities ranging from the experienced to those that had watched it plenty of times but never marched before. Our strict rules of entry into the team were that we did not train to often and only compete in the Titles events being Branch, State and Aussies. This team had plenty of interested members for Branch but we had to scramble for competitors at the State and Australian Titles due to the travel involved. The Rebels team unearthed plenty of hidden talent this season from those that had never marched before including Richard Trim,Craig Williams, Fiona Hall and Andrew Sole.

With the Branch Titles being held at Collaroy there was no better place to kick off our campaign than marching on our own beach in front of plenty of supporters. Even the announcer gave us plenty of air time over the PA after Pete Mc Dermott had a quiet word in his ear about how good the Rebels were. In the lead up to Branch we had one training session to work out team positions and then we were ready to compete even though Craig and Trimmy may have thought differently. About half an hour prior to competing at Branch, Trimmy decided to have a heart attack and left us short but luckily the versatile Robyn Hill agreed to help us out at short notice. Thankfully Trimmy survived his heart attack and has fully recovered but he still copped plenty of barbs about going to elaborate lengths to get out of marching. The Rebels team did surprisingly well for their first march coming in 5^thplace with plenty of room for improvement. The first Rebels team to compete for Collaroy included Paul Ducker, Robyn Hill, John Fahey, Norm Chaffer,Craig Williams, Ross Lamb, Peter McDermott,Ron Levy, Mick Tomblin, Greg Falk, Steve Green and Paul de Kort.

Unfortunately we could not have a set team for the State and Aussies due to various commitments so people were shifted around in various positions depending on who was available at the time. The lead up to State saw us complete half a training session, as only six people turned up, and once again we were ready to march. We were scrambling to get competitors for State, so Fiona Hall Andrew Sole, Todd Ware, Richard Trim,Liz Greenand Brooke Ison agreed to compete after some gentle persuasion and made their debuts for the Rebels. The wet weather did not allow us to warm up prior to the event after a democratic vote decided on staying dry as long as possible. Eventually we had to drag ourselves out to the marshalling area and people were having second thoughts about why they wanted to march. The Rebels team put in another surprising performance and apart from our wheeling points we did very well coming in 7^thplace. This result was encouraging and gave us plenty of confidence heading into the Aussies.

The Aussies saw us having to change our team around once again but this time we had two training sessions in total before competing in the heat on Friday to see who would qualify for the final on Sunday. This time Greg Broome made his long awaited debut for the team after being released from the Bears team. The organisers must have heard about our team as they decided to have the Rebels lead all the teams onto the arena so the crowd could get a good look at us. The Rebels team waited until all the other teams had marshaled before turning up to the carnival, much to the annoyance of the Referee, but after all we were the ‘Rebels’ team. Anyway, the Rebels proudly marched around the course and came in a creditable 11^thplace and therefore easily qualifying for the final. After finally thinking that we had our team all organised for the final,Liz Greendecided to dislocate her shoulder in the Boat events but luckily she found a replacement inJessica Hartwho agreed to make her debut for the team. The Rebels performed admirably in the final and all the members were proud to represent the red caps that day as they stormed into 11th place, only three places behind the Bears team. Once again our wheeling let us down but might I say that had one other judge given us a zero in the wheeling section then the Rebels would have come away with a silver medal. Now that would have been one for the history books and great bragging rights for years to come but alas it wasn’t to be.

Overall, the Rebels had a great start for their first season together and fun was had by all both at training and marching around the arena. Thanks to all the people who put their hands up to march for the team because without you the Rebels would not have been born. Thanks also to those that assisted in coaching this rebellious lot including Dave Perry, Greg Falk andGreg MacMahon.  A big thank you also goes toPaul Duckerfor organising a flag and pole for the team and for fixing up an old reel for us to use in the event. There have been plenty of people interested in marching for the Rebels next season so much so that we may even have enough for a second Rebels team. So if you are interested then get your proficiency and give it a go. You will be surprised at how much fun you will have. Watch out for the Rebels team next season as we will be breathing down the necks of the more fancied teams and may cause a few upset results. Go the REBELS.    

U/23 Team– Brooke Perry, Georgina Butterworth, Emily Mickan, Ali Naylor, Claudia Attanasio, Caitlan Neeson, Jodie Trim, Isabel Marynissen, Kelly Trim, Eleanor Lamb, Aimee Gundry and Morgan Reid. Coach –ColNewman, Assistant – Dave Perry, Team Manager – Sue Perry.

As this was such an important year for our club and with the Branch Championships being held at Collaroy, our manager Sue Perry arranged for the girls to assemble for training at the beginning of February as the majority had not marched in this age group. With Brooke Coulcher being unavailable this season, Brooke Perry, in her final year in the U/23 team took over the all important position of standard bearer. Unfortunately at Branch, Collaroy were the only team in this age group and did not receive medals.

With another four weeks before the State Championships at Kingscliff, the team was able to gain some much needed practice in positions which were new to some. With the long trip up the coast and with R&R events to be decided beforehand, Sue arranged for the girls to have a late training session on Saturday under very overcast conditions. On Sunday morning a heavy rain shower just prior to the march saturated everyone. The team however marched brilliantly winning Gold with a middle mark deduction of only 3 points, their nearest rival Nth Cronulla losing 11 points.

Having been surprisingly beaten by Brighton SA last year at Kurrawa, we were determined not to let this happen a second time. As there were no other events on Friday, it was an opportunity to march in the Open elimination Heat and adapt to the conditions. Of the teams which marched Collaroy looked to be a standout but whilst we had the measure ofBrighton, there was one other team which did not march.  After another good training session on the arena late Saturday everything was set up for another good performance.  Once again it was not to be and despite being the best team on total points, that team which did not march on the Friday Nth Bondi took the Gold on middle mark points with Collaroy relegated to second andBrightonthird. If these girls can stay together as a team next season I can’t see why they cannot regain the U/23 Gold. Finally my thanks must go to the Perry family, Sue for making it all happen, Dave with your assistance at training as well as carting the reel around at Kurrawa, and Brooke for all the many years of marching in our age teams.

Under 14 Team

Millie Sutters, Jake de Kort, Jordan Sole, Annabelle Loone, Sahara Gaw, Abigail Pinney, Abbey Gardiner, Rayna Shimakage, Ella Johnstone, Christian Loone, Hannah Naylor, Brianna Numa and Ebony Bathie.

 Another great season by the Roy Nipper Marchies.

Our talented squad trainned very well this year and it showed in their carnival results winning every Junior carnival on the Northern Beaches including Branch. State this year was atKingscliffBeach, we were narrowly beaten by Sawtell by 2 points to receive the Silver Medal....we were so proud of you all.

We have enjoyed this season with theMarch Past team. We will miss our Under 14s that are moving onto Cadets as some have been in our Nipper team since 2007/2008. We know we will have a great Under 17's team next season.

Congratulations goes to Millie Suters who was the recipient of the Lawrie McGaw Memorial Trophy for the Most Outstanding Under 14 March Past Competitor.

Debra Trim and Anne Bullivant

The Bears– David MacIntosh,Kenyon McKie,Greg MacMahon, Tim Loone,Martin Bowyer, Norm Chaffer,Ron Levy, Greg Broome, Ross Lamb, Ricco Cooper,Tony Aouad, Col Newman, Peter Rumble, Peter MacMahon, Barry Muncke and Neil Armstrong. Coach – Ray Isaacs, Assistant Coach – Greg Falk.

After my two year stint at coaching the Bears it was decided to ask Ray Isaacs, a Life Member of our club, if he would be interested in the position even though he was already coaching the Queenscliff and Warriewood teams. Ray jumped at the opportunity and the squad was assembled for our first training session in late October. The only changes in personnel from last season’s team was the loss of Mick Tomblin and the return of Norm Chaffer. It was difficult  to adjust to Ray’s style of coaching, with numerous treks well past Flight Deck taking its toll on some senior members of the squad.

As usual our first carnival of the season was a bus trip toNorth Cronullawhere we were fortunate to come away with a win on a count back from our Ladies team. From this result it was obvious that they would again be the Bears main opposition for the remainder of the season. After finishing second behindCavesBeachat Queenscliff, the following week it was another bus trip, this time to Wanda where we have been fairly successful in the past. Once again it was a one point win to the Bears over the Ladies making the return trip all that more enjoyable. Despite the  early season success, the results at the Manly and Freshwater carnivals did not to favour our team. For the third year running the Collaroy Ladies won both carnivals and their confidence was high leading into the Championships.

After having been held in early January for the last few years, the East Coast Masters carnival was conducted on the 6^thFebruary which was the start of three big carnival weekends to celebrate our Centenary. After a tiring morning working on the beach, the Bears again narrowly won Gold from our Ladies team. The following weekend saw the Branch Lifesaving events held on Saturday and the Juvenile Championships staged on Sunday, with Collaroy regaining the march past Gold. The third of our big weekends at Collaroy beach saw us conduct the Open Branch Championships under brilliant blue skies. The March Past was a great spectacle with 5 of the 12 teams participating representing Collaroy. Once again despite having to spend many hours on the beach as part of the work party, the Bears came away with the win, finally breaking a three year winning streak held by our Ladies.

The State Championships were held on the far north coast at Kingscliff, and although the number of teams competing was down on previous years, it was still a very strong field. Despite heavy rain prior to the event, the weather did hold off during the march with the Bears going on to retain Gold, the middle mark win this time favouring us from the unlucky Collaroy Ladies.

 Not since 2004-05 had the Bears won Branch, State and Aussie Gold in the one season. The Team commenced training at Kurrawa on Wednesday afternoon after the last of our members arrived on the Coast. With the Heat to determine the 20 finalists not held until1pmFriday, we were able to fine tune with three more training sessions. The result again saw Collaroy placed second, this time behind Alexandra Headlands even though we were the lowest scoring team on the beach. Whilst this was a pleasing result, our minds cast back to 2010 when with a similar result we could only manage 8^thon the Sunday. With all events completed by4pmeach day, Ray Isaacs took advantage of training on the competition arena on both Friday and Saturday afternoon. The Sunday Final proved to be disappointing for the Bears with the middle mark score again not favouring us even though we were the equal second lowest scoring team.CavesBeachimproved from 15^th position in the Heat to win the Australian Championship from Freshwater with Southport SA in third place, the result just proving how open this contest can be.

Overall this season has been a very satisfying one for everyone involved with the Bears team. Whilst the end result was again disappointing, there were some very good results throughout the season as shown below-:

North Cronulla                     1^st

Queenscliff                           2^nd

Wanda                                   1^st

Manly                                      3^rd

Freshwater                           2^nd

Collaroy (ECM)                     1^st

Collaroy (Branch)                               1^st

Kingscliff (State)                   1^st

Kurrawa (Aust. Heat)          2^nd

Kurrawa ( Aust. Final)         8^th

SNBBranch P/ship             1^st

SNBBranch H’cap P/S       1^st

State H’cap P/S                    1^st

The members of the Bears would like to thank Jim Lawson of JJ Lawson Customs and Forwarding Agents for his ongoing sponsorship enabling us to compete in our new Centenary costumes manufactured by Catfish Designs of Warriewood,  the input of our coach Ray Isaacs who was ably assisted by Greg Falk, Competition Director Janine Fahey for submitting our entries, and toGreg MacMahonfor transporting our reel to carnivals.

ColNewman