John Bayliss & Distinguished Service Award Winners
The John Bayliss award is presented in honour of the late John Bayliss, and is awarded to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the club over a number of years, typically based on their volunteered involvement in the running of the club.
The Distinguished service award is presented to club members who have made an outstanding contribution to the club in one of the areas of Coaching, Playing, or Administration.
Both of these awards are designed to reward and recognise the efforts of those that combine to make MUBC such a wonderful club, both on and off the court.
Year | John Bayliss Award Winner | Distinguished Service Award Winners |
2023 | Andrew Lui | Amelia Smith, Joel Rimes, Mithali Rajagopalan |
2022 | Sophia Naughton | Andrew Lui |
2021 | Not Awarded | Not Awarded |
2020 | Not Awarded |
Not Awarded (COVID pandemic) |
2019 | Philip Verrocchi | Not Awarded |
2018 | Anjali Goundar | William Burrell, Nicholas White, Jennifer Naughton, Grantley Bernard |
2017 | Jason Kotchoff | Amanda Douglass, Jason But |
2016 | Kylie Turnley | Sophia Naughton, James Shaw |
2015 | Jacqui Nguyen | Sam Fileccia, Simon Vaughan |
2014 | Bernard Thomson | Sofia Soltys, Damien Murphy |
2013 | Hugh James | Mark Farag, Jason Kotchoff, Philip Verrocchi |
2012 | Rhia Mikkor | James Cosgriff, Caitlyn Hallett, Ivan Raymond |
2011 | Eric Chan | Raef Akehurst, Jacqui Nguyen |
2010 | Andrew Walker | Anjali Goundar, Tom Leong, Kerry Turnley |
2009 | Matthew Hillbrich | Stuart Black, Melanie Fidler, Hugh James, Robbie McCoy, Peter Rossiter, Joey Rzepisko |
2008 | Steph Canale | Rhia Mikkor, Bernard Thomson, Kylie Turnley |
2007 | Joel Berry | Eric Chan, Andrew Walker |
2006 | James Fidler | Steph Canale, Matt Hillbrich, Anthony Nantes, James Pescott, Lach Strong |
2005 | Matthew Rafton | Kuhn Ip, Jim Kondos, Adriano Leti, Justin Turnley |
2004 | Glenda De Marinis | James Fidler |
2003 | Melissa Pearson | |
2002 | Daisy Adams | Martin De Lange, Michelle Hansen, Tony Holden, Rachel Knight, Nick Martin, Melissa Pearson, Stuart Verrier |
2001 | Brendan Green | |
2000 | Sam Sterling | Joe Caroll, Brendan Green, Sarsha McEntee, Matthew Rafton, David Semmens |
1999 | Herman Tokatlidis | |
1998 | Michelle Hansen | |
1997 | Marc Howard | |
1996 | Tammy Walsh | |
1995 | Michael Scales | |
1994 | Carolyn Pickburn | |
1993 | Trevor Andrew | Greg Scholes |
1992 | David Liddle | |
1991 | Gillian Payne | |
1990 | David Morosoli | |
1989 | Gary Pendlebury | |
1988 | Bernadette Bett | |
1987 | Geoff Bowles | |
1986 | Judy Knight | |
1985 | Chris Macpherson | |
1984 | Matthew Wellington | |
1983 | Wendy Macpherson | |
1982 | Andrew Bett | |
1981 | Graeme Howe | |
1980 | Kerry Lewis | |
1979 | John Campbell | |
1978 | Ann Compton | |
1977 | Henry Cooper | |
1976 | Julie Sievers | |
1975 | Sandie De Wolfe | |
1974 | Ian Bett | |
1972 | Euan Lockie |
With regard to the John Bayliss award, here is what Coops had to say about it in an interview in 2016:
Youtube link
1h, 15m, 30s mark
"It was supposed to be a person a bit like me. I certainly wasn't a good basketballer at that stage but I was a person who was involved in all facets of the club. The committee, administering and running things, in coaching, in organising coaching and playing at a reasonable level but not a top level.
John was around in the late 60s to early 70s and he passed away in a car accident on the way back from the Swan Hill Tournament.
It was deemed that he was exactly the sort of person that makes a really great club that does really basic stuff like;
You want someone to coach a team in a tournament?
"Yeah I'll do that"
You need someone to do the scorebench in a game?
"Yeah I'll do that"
You need someone to organise some stuff for a party this weekend
"Yeah I'll do that"
You need a general rep for something
"Yeah I'll do that"
He was just the sort of person who was invaluable and made a club worth belonging to.
The John Bayliss was in all my time, the highest award that we could give."
*Note: John Bayliss passed in January 1971