Sport
15 November, 2024
Pyrenees Petanque Club getting ready to celebrate 30th year anniversary with tournament
The Pyrenees Petanque Club is gearing up for a special anniversary this weekend, with the 30th anniversary triples tournament taking place this weekend.
The event will celebrate 30 years of the club, held at the Avoca Recreation Reserve pistes, in which it has become a key pillar of the Avoca community.
The sport was first integrated into Avoca in March 1994, with the town’s reputation with fine wines playing a significant part.
The local Vignerons Association used their marketing strategy to leverage the wine industry, knowing there were many Frenchmen involved in both wine and petanque, to bring together a French-themed festival.
The petanque tournament, held on the river flat, was a huge hit, and a local club was formed in November, 1994.
Soon, that involved tournaments played in both autumn and spring every year, including on pistes in High Street.
Thirty years on, the club has celebrated 56 official tournaments, the opening of their own facilities, good membership numbers and continues to play fortnightly every Sunday.
Saturday and Sunday’s triples tournament will feature new activations on top of the traditional tournament format.
In past years, the winning team is engraved on a perpetual trophy which stays at the clubrooms.
But in 2024, new handmade trophies have been designed, which includes older boules on the trophy. The winning team will get to keep the trophies.
The club will also conduct special celebrations throughout the weekend, with giveaways, nostalgic photos and a 30th birthday cake to celebrate 30 years of petanque in Avoca.
Pyrenees Petanque Club secretary Ken Field spoke highly about how special the weekend will be, not just for the sport, but the town itself.
“For some of us who have been around for 30 years, it’s hard to believe that time has gone so quickly. We’ve had a lot of people from the original weekend send their well-wishes who can’t make it, but there will be a lot who will be here,” he said.
“The original weekend, when we held our first tournament was part of a food and wine festival, and petanque was something that was new to the community. Since then, it’s grown into a sport locally, and we’ve had repeat visitations twice a year for over 30 years.
“We’ve had over 7000 registrations and 56 tournaments. We’ve had terrific support from the local community, local shire, Central Highlands Water and the Pyrenees Vignerons.”
Field says teams across the country will make their way to Avoca — while at times, it has also attracted an international presence, helping the sport of petanque break through in Australia.
“There will be a lot of Melburnians here, we have sides from New South Wales entered, sides from South Australia and a Tasmanian side coming across,” he said.
“We’ve had people in the past come across from Singapore, a UK team, regularly, we’ve had New Zealanders coming across to play in tournaments, so it certainly attracts people far and wide and there’s a keen interest for those that follow the game.
“Historically, it was one of the first major tournaments played outside of Melbourne.
“Most of petanque in the day was played among expat, ethnic communities where the sport was part of the culture for a long, long time, and so it was brought out of Melbourne up here, and it was embraced by the locals originally, and some of the locals who played petanque.
“Since then, it’s been replicated in other regions as well, in South Australia in the wine-growing region of Coonawarra, there is a big tournament there that is based on this tournament, and other tournaments established around the fringes of Melbourne.
“There’s country clubs established throughout Victoria, and the growth has been quite phenomenal.”
Field spoke highly about the donated trophies, which will add to the colour of this historic event for the town and sport.
“They are a keepsake, and a memento to 30 years of achieve-ment,” he said.
“One of our local members took up the initiative, and said we could make use of the old boules in the club and some of the material we have.
“He is very much a handyman and put together three magnificent trophies. The winners of the triples will take them home, and their names will be put on the perpetual trophy.
“Over the years, we’ve had a terrific contribution from a number of people who have made their way through the club.
“Some have been there for the long haul, others have been there more recently, but in most cases, they are very passionate about what they do.
“If they can make a contribution, they do, and we’ve been very well rewarded from the people who come and play for us.
“They have a lot of skills that sometimes, you’re unaware of, and it manifests itself into something like this.”