The association bouncing back from devastation

By Stephanie Smarrelli

''Everything we had, we lost."

Lismore and District Netball Association's Secretary Shirley Donovan remembers all too well the devastation of 2022. 

“I remember walking into the clubhouse and looking at the mud and the slime and thinking: ‘where do you start?’,” she said.

But the regional netball club, which has been running for almost 80 years, has finally reopened after it was swamped by record-breaking flooding two years ago.

The heart and soul of the local netball community, Lismore and District Netball Association, is back on its feet thanks to a $30,000 Pick Fresh, Play Fresh grant from Woolworths.

The clubhouse, which has been operating out of a shipping container since the floods, reopened earlier this month, marking a historic occasion for the town.

The association's secretary Shirley Donovan told of the club's sheer devastation.
 
“We literally had nothing, we were at the stage where then Vice President Brad Painter was cutting down donated pole padding so we could let the Woolworths NetSetGO kids have pole padding to be safe when they played,” she said.

Continuing to reflect on the association's state after the floods, Donovan noted nothing was able to be saved from the ruins.
 
''We started by throwing everything out because nothing was salvageable," she said.

Donovan thanked Woolworths for its support to get Lismore and District Netball Association back up and running not just for the grants but for engaging with the community.
 
“Thank you to Woolies because you did more than just give us money, you came down and made the kids feel special. You had Cath running around with them, you made the courts feel special and made us feel as if we were important,” she said.

“Lismore netball is important, we have an identity and it showed that somebody cares,” she said.

The $30,000 cash from the grants the association received has been used for a variety of things from covering the cost of children's memberships to providing new equipment and rebuilding the clubhouse.

Donovan was thankful for the grants which have helped them turn the association into a place where the community wants to spend their time on and off the court.

“The cash Woolies gave us enabled us to make the association a place where we could meet, we have a canteen, equipment and a TV on the wall for the kids to watch netball while Mum’s playing that they can enjoy,” she said.
 
"The cash has also helped us increase our membership as we were able to waive fees for some of the kids, without those fees being subsidised a lot of these kids wouldn’t be able to play.”

Woolworths NetSetGO ambassador Cath Cox visited Lismore as they reopened their clubhouse and was thrilled to see the association bouncing back having first visited in 2022 following the floods.

“You can hear the whistles, you can hear the footwork, you can see all the smiles on the faces and that is really special,” she said.

“The Woolworths Pick Fresh, Play Fresh netball grants had a massive impact on the community here enabling the kids to get back out on the court.

“Speaking to a few families since we've been here when times were tough, they had to choose between their kids playing and themselves playing. Thanks to Woolworths the association has been able to help fund some of the kid’s memberships meaning that the adults are getting out there as well and enjoying the game they love.”

Attending the association's reopening, store manager of Woolworths Lismore Jessica Lees expressed Woolworths' commitment to support local communities.

“At Woolworths, we're committed to encouraging Pick Fresh, Play Fresh amongst our young kids across the nation and supporting local communities such as the Lismore and District Netball Association,” she said.
 
“It's important to Woolworths to support the grassroots of sport to encourage kids to have a healthier lifestyle.”

Applications for Woolworths’ 2024 Pick Fresh, Play Fresh grants are now open with clubs and associations able to apply here.