SBA Life Member Induction

Sandra Hilford’s (nee Cervi) involvement with this club has been almost continuous across the last 50 years. Sandra is the youngest of five children of our club’s founder, Basil Cervi and his wife, Molly. The club history details the enormous work that Basil did in initiating and growing basketball in the local area.

The club survived its early years on the back of unofficial, voluntary hard work, by a very small group of participants. Sandra helped her father in many voluntary tasks in the early years of the club (1970s and 1980s) including running the small canteen, cleaning the courts, recruiting new players to the club, forming teams and fixtures, producing uniforms and voluntary refereeing. She represented the Sabres for around 15 years until work took her to Canberra in 1990.

Sandra has been just as involved in the more professional years of the last two decades that coincided with having four children go through the program. She has been a domestic and representative coach for around 25 years, beginning when still a Senior Sabre player and continuing after retirement from playing. Sandra has coached domestically and was a board member on the Mentone Mustangs committee. Sandra has also been a Sabres Junior Representative Coach or assistant coach for over ten years, including as an assistant coach in the SEABL women’s program in 2016.

Thank you Sandra for your ongoing support and commitment to the SBA.

Bruce Mitchell has made numerous meaningful and valuable contributions to the growth and development of the SBA over an extended period of time. He has been forced to move away from the game he loves due to age and recent poor health. Bruce has contributed to the SBA in many ways:

Domestic Club: Coached and managed domestic junior club Cheltenham Panthers from its inception in 1983 until its last game in 1994.

Refereeing: From the late 1990’s through the 2000’s including representative games on Friday nights.

Administrator: Secretary of the SBA from 1988 to 1991.

Coordinated the Sabres club newsletter from 1987 until 1995, distributing about 250 copies per week (ably assisted by life member June Hamill).

Media contributor for over 30 years. Initially as the Sabres sportswriter for the Bayside times starting in the late 1980’s, and then also hosting the basketball radio show on Southern 88.3 FM from 1991 until 2022. Won 1990, 1992, 1993 & 1994 VBA State Basketball Award “Best Coverage Regional Newspaper: For the Bayside Times for its coverage of the Sabres championship games.

Thank you Bruce for your ongoing support and commitment to the SBA.