Sports

Blockhouse Bay Surf Lifesaving Club

By Ray Kealey, Kylie Hickey in Clubs

22 November, 2022

Blockhouse Bay Surf Lifesaving Club In the late 1930s, a group of young Blockhouse Bay men formed the Blockhouse Bay Surf Lifesaving Club. They took their training very seriously and were coached by Barney Clews. During the week the club members would train at Blockhouse Bay beach doing exercises on the shore, and swimming across from Te Whau Point to the sandbank and back again. On Friday nights they caught a bus to Karekare, where they stayed in the clubhouse over the weekend and did their surf training, before travelling back to town on Sunday night.

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Blockhouse Bay Basketball

in Clubs

Blockhouse Bay Basketball – 1920s style In the early 1920s, the young women living in or near Blockhouse Bay, formed themselves into a basketball team. In those days each team had nine players, and the game was played on a court divided equally into three sections. Three of the team were defenders and stayed in one of the end thirds of the court. Three were designated centres and stayed in the centre section, and the final three girls were goalies and stayed in the other end of the court.

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Camping at the Bay

in Places

Camping at the Bay Around the beginning of the 20th century, families began making the arduous journey over unformed roads, to camp at Blockhouse Bay beach reserve. They camped at both Blockhouse Bay and Sandy Bay and many came back year after year to the same site, where they had built a fireplace and dug ditches for drainage. There was a real community spirit among the campers, and when fishermen returned with large catches, the extra was shared so that all the families had some.

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The Blockhouse Bay Cricket Club

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The Blockhouse Bay Cricket Club – 1937 to 1973 Blockhouse Bay Cricket Club badge From early years cricket was a favourite game for the locals. The first cricket pitch was on the beach at low tide, which must have made for some interesting ball chases amongst the mud and mangroves. The first registered cricket club in the Bay was formed in 1937 and a committee was elected on 15 April, comprised as follows: Mr and Mrs George Skellon, Stan Johnston, Les Paice, Eric McCurdy, Ray Kealey, Jim Fisk, Ken Kealey and Des Uffindel as Secretary.

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The Blockhouse Bay Yacht and Motorboat Club

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The Blockhouse Bay Yacht and Motorboat Club The Bill Glen Collection The Blockhouse Bay Yacht and Motorboat Club was founded on February 2nd 1944, lasting nearly 50 years before succumbing to mounting financial pressure in 1993. Many members were taken in by the French Bay Yacht Club in neighbouring Titirangi. The closure of the BHB club prompted longtime member Bill Glen to record and preserve the history of the club. Thus, the ‘Bill Glen Collection’ was born.

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