Cricket Club History

This is by no means a full account – if you can add to our cricket club history, please contact a club official or send us a email. Every little bit of history is precious.

When Ken Trembath looked across at Hession Oval in 1980 and saw the concrete cricket pitch, it was then that he wanted to start a cricket club at Helensvale. He met up with Tom Connolly to get the wheels in motion, proposing to run as president and Tom as treasurer, with Les Dobbie as secretary. Tom’s response was: “what’s a treasurer do?”

With that, Ken replied: “nothing much … collect and bank the money and sell the drinks”. Tom’s commented years later: “yeah right, wasn’t I fooled”.

Ken then contacted the local councillor, Colin Kleinschmidt of the then Albert Shire Council, who started things rolling.

During the next 12 months, we raised money through raffles, gambling nights at the local community hall and a boat trip on the Broadwater.

That was the beginning of the group known as the Helensvale Cricket Club. However, the Gold Coast and Districts Cricket Association hog tied that plan, with the restriction they had to play under the Runaway Bay Cricket Club’s banner first. The Hawks’ founders adhered to this, whilst still planning and steering the dream of the Helensvale Cricket Club.

The original committee was Ken Trembath, Chris Payne, Gay Trembath, Tom Connolly, Les Dobbie, Rick Love and David Jones.

Helensvale Hawks Cricket Club Founding Members 

Top row (left to right): David Jones, Rick Love, Les Dobbie, Tom Connolly.

Bottom row (left to right): Ken Trembath, Chris Payne, Gay Trembath (dec).

The players of this group went out and played the game under the association’s conditions and won the 2^nd grade premiership. Despite other stories floating around, the club was given permission to field a 1st grade team under the banner of Helensvale Cricket Club in the 1982 season.

The council approved a clubhouse (if that’s what it was). The small fenced building on the other side of the toilet block was the Hawks’ first clubhouse – back then it was fibro-walled and had two small fridges, one for beer and one for soft drinks. In the words of Tom Connolly, it was, “NO money in my hand NO DRINK.” Tom even refused Peter Mears of the ABC a drink until he paid him the 60 cents for a soft drink. Tom is known to quote: ” NO freebies when I was Treasurer”.

If you look in the curator shed, you can see part of the original bar still in use. Part of the agreement under which the clubhouse was allowed to be built was that the Council would put a toilet block next to the clubhouse and the Hawks were responsible for keeping it clean. That lasted all of a few months; council took over the control of it upon seeing the state of the toilet block. The shed I have been told was donated (by who I am not sure of) and for a while it was bigger than the clubhouse. When the Hawks were no longer using the old clubhouse, it was donated to the mothers’ club that had been using it once a week. It is still used as a playgroup today. ([EDIT] this has not been handed back to the cricket club as of 2016).

The below people borrowed funds to build the existing clubhouse. The loan was obtained from ANZ, with these members actually signing their lives away as guarantors for the loan. Without these men, there would not be the fine clubhouse we now have. Building started with the first sod turned by Col Kleinschmidt and Chris Payne in 1985 and it was the members again, most of those on the below list, that toiled long and hard to lay the foundations, slabs and bricks that are the clubhouse. It was not contracted out but built by hand by the members, starting the Hawks’ tradition of members banding together to get the job done. The clubhouse was finished on March 7, 1986 and officially opened by the honourable MLA Mr. I. J. Gibbs.

Clubhouse building guarantors

Neil Craig McQuillan
Darren Richard Love
Ronald Roy Saunders
William George Sands
Paul Andrew Trembath
Norm Jessen
Darren Huxtable
Paul Lang Hicks
Terrence David Williams
Richard Henry Love
Christopher Payne
Kenneth Douglas Trembath
Thomas Terrance Connolly
Gregory James Trembath
George Athol Payne

In 1987, Helensvale Cricket Club became incorporated and officially became Helensvale Cricket Club Inc.

09/03/1989 – Interest free loan secured from Albert Shire Council for the payout of the guarantor loan from ANZ Bank.

1991/92 – The Hawks purchased a bowling machine with assistance from council.

1991-1993 – The Gold Coast Dolphins used our ground and clubhouse. When they left, they took the roller, covers and site screens to their new ground at Kerrydale.

1992 – Ran a successful touch football competition from our oval.

1992/93 – The Hawks won the 2nd grade premiership.

17/09/93 – Second-hand roller purchased from Compressor Sales and Hire Southport.

1995 – Wicket rebuilt: the original turf wicket had seen its day. It was sunken, rippled and the drainage from the deck was non existent. Jeff Lindemann arranged the dozer and other machines needed (all were donated); Steve Gooley (and his wonder dog Conan) supplied the surveyor equipment and skills to use it; Steve Wilson obtained the roadbase, aggregate, drainage piping, timber and black soil for new decks; Greg Carney along with Steve and Julie Wilson supplied the time and labour to wash the $575 worth of new Tyagarah turf donated by Col Kleinschmidt from his pastoral company. The first ball, delivered by Col, was signed by the playing team and is displayed in our trophy cabinet along with the photo of Col bowling it.

1995 – We delivered 2667 copies of the big pages colour directory for 20 cents per book, receiving a total of $535.40.

Helped Colin Kleinschmidt the then Councilors for many years with the Red Shield Appeal. From hearsay, the club was involved from the early 1990s to the mid 2000s. The club organized and co-ordinated collections from the Helensvale and Oxenford areas, collecting thousands of dollars for the Red Shield Appeal.

During the mid 1990s, the club also did its share of international friendliness, holding classes for student exchange programs run by the Australian Institute of International Understanding. It involved students from different Japanese schools being billeted in the community and then attending the clubhouse five days a week for 2 weeks. Apart from helping the students, it made the club well-needed funds. The gifts can still be seen in the clubhouse trophy cabinet.

In 1998, we conversed with Col Kleinschmidt (he might say hassled) for lights for our training nets. Finally, after doing all the investigative work for them, council agreed and contracted Emerlite to install the lights. For the first time in club history, we had night training. Ironically, after many years of complaining about the nets and drainage, council out of the blue flattened the old nets. With two facing the field as they do now and two running parallel with Discovery Drive, we lost so many balls in the stormwater drain as it wasn’t then a concrete drain but a small creek.

By Stephen “Hawk” Wilson (Life Member).

The Next Chapter:

During the early 2000s, unfortunately the cricket club went through some tough times with the cricket club going into debt and losing its junior program at the same time reducing down to only two senior teams.

Season 2007/2008 – Ian Wade-Parker (now life member) took over the club as President and helped remove the 30K debt left from the previous executive from the years before to return the club into a having a positive bank account balance. He was also a key driver in ensuring that our junior program for the club was started up again and steps were made to start its growth again. When Ian left the Hawks and Gold Coast to start a new life out at Stanthorpe, the club had 4 senior teams, 1 master team, a milo progam and 2 junior teams.

Season 2008/2009 – was successful in getting a grant for a brand new turf practice net to be installed next to the existing net structure.

Season 2008/2009 – new pitch roller is provided to the club through funding provided by the local Councillor.

Season 2008/2009 – a 4th wicket was installed in the middle of Hession Oval. The cricket block in the middle of Hession Oval would soon be known as one of the best wickets on the Gold Coast, if not the best. Thanks to our curator over the next few seasons Barry Turner.

Season 2009/2010 – a new cricket pitch block in at Brockman Oval located in Pacific Pines.

Season 2010/2011, Conrad Dickson took over as president to continue the work done by Ian Wade-Parker. Unfortunately out of the clubs control, we were dropped from 1st grade due to a change in the competition.

Season 2010/2011 – A new ceiling, lights and fans were installed in the club house.

Season 2010/2011 – was successful in receiving an interest free loan from the council. This loan was used to install air conditioning, a new bar and kitchen for the club. Making it a much more ideal location for cricket club members and events.

Season 2010/2011 – the club receives a small grant to installed a 1.5kw Solar System

Season, 2011/2012 – we entered the club into a Cricket Australia promotion called the “Ryobi Day”.  This was a nation wide competition and the Hawks were successful in winning the competition with their entry (read more…). This was a major turn around for the cricket club with the competition giving the cricket club $20K to spend. With this, we upgraded out change rooms. We given the opportunity to host a fantastic cricket day with international cricket heroes of the past vs a faithful XI. It was a great day with over 1000 people attending to watch (read more…).

Season 2011/2012 – Lacrosse came to Hession Oval for the first time ever with us hosting the Gold Coast Lacrosse team and their state championships. They left the year after due to a lack of numbers unfortunately.

Season 2012/2013 – The cricket club became 2nd Grade Premiers and made our way back into 1st Grade (as per the rules of Cricket Gold Coast at the time).

Season 2012-2013 – The club launched its first known club flag.

Season 2014/2015 – Josh Mitchell becomes President, with the club having 6 senior teams, 2 masters, 4 Junior teams and over 50 milo players.

Season 2014/2015– The cricket club installs a brand new colour bond patio through grant funding.

Season 2015/2016 – The cricket club receives a $90K grant to install new soft training nets (expending from 3 to 4) and new LED lighting.

Season 2015/2016 – 4th Grade make the Semi Finals and unfortunately lose in a close game with Palm Beach.

Season 2015/2016 – Conrad Dickson becomes Life Member.

Season 2016/2017 – Conrad Dickson returns as president to stand in for president standing down originally voted in.

Season 2016/2017 – The cricket club installs a new picket fence around the ground thanks to the funding providing by the Council and Cr. Owen-Jones.

Season 2016/2017 – The cricket club gets back the storage room on the other side of the toilet block which was also the cricket clubs first club house. We are now using it as a cricket gear storage room.

Season 2016/2017 – The cricket  club installs a brand new curators shed through grant funding replacing the original old one.

Season 2016/2017 – U13s, 4th Grade and 5th Grade make semi finals. 4th Grade win the premiership against Broadbeach Robina in the last over!

Season 2016/2017 – Paul Baird becomes Life Member.

Season 2016/2017 – We enclosed the Patio to secure it and provide more space to store our outside furniture. (no longer do we need to drag the tables and chairs in and out of the club house!). The club also now uses this space for a fancy new pool table and dart board. It should be good watching the cricket (and the ashes) from this location.

Season 2017-2018 – Connor O’Brien becomes President.

Season 2017-2018 – The Hawks make the 1st Grade Final in the first time in club history!! Well done to all of those involved in the club over the years to get the club to this point. Of course well done to the playing group that helped make this happen. Fantastic moment for the club’s history. Unfortunately, the club went down against a better Burleigh team on the day. All teams senior this season finished above 5 on the leader board. Things looking excellent for the Hawks future.

Season 2017-2018 – Our U14s also make the Grand Final! Another great effort by our U14s this season. They played good strong spirited cricket which came through all the way through the season into the final. Again, unfortunately our boys couldn’t chase down the Mudgee total were better on the day.  Again, our future is strong.

Season 2017-2018 – Jo Browne becomes Life Member.

Season 2018-2019 – David O’Donnell becomes President.

Season 2018-2019 – Milo Junior Cricket changes names and becomes Woolworths Blast Cricket.

The Hawks Cricket Club now has 6-7 senior cricket teams, 2 master cricket teams, 8 junior cricket teams and almost 70 Woolworths Blast children. In the past 5 years the club has received over $250k in council and grant funding to improve it’s facilities. The Hawks Cricket Club is ever growing in strength thanks to the above mentioned Presidents, their executives, committees, members and volunteers.

by Conrad “Condor” Dickson (Life Member).

More to come…