Not taking no for an answer is a character trait that Broadford Football Netball Club president Bonnie Cavanagh wears as a badge of honour.
The determined leader of the club, that is currently affiliated with the Outer East Football Netball League, is behind a third attempt by the Kangaroos to join the Kyabram District League.
In the last month she has met in-person and via digital means, with club presidents from across the league and even enlisted the support of a well-known football identity when she attended a meeting in Kyabram with club representatives.
Not all clubs were prepared to meet with the passionate football and netball person, but she remains unperturbed.
Former Lancaster coach Steve Sharp, who started his playing career at Broadford, offered his support to Cavanagh and accompanied her to a meeting with officials from Lancaster, Undera, Stanhope and Merrigum.
Not that she needed anyone to hold her hand, the RMIT Criminology graduate, who spent almost 14 years in senior roles with Victoria Police, is more than capable of holding her own in any situation.
Her aim was to walk away from the meeting with eight votes in the bag, each Kyabram league club having two delegates votes that will go towards deciding if Broadford is admitted to the competition.
Cavanagh, who was the first female president of the club and a 200-game netballer with Broadford, said the Victorian football and netball environment had changed considerably — and her club saw the Kyabram district league as its best option.
The Broadford club president’s list of credentials are long, including being the inaugural chairperson of the Outer East Football Netball League Women’s Advisory Group and a member of the AFL’s Strategic Community Investment Fund Advisory Committee.
She is the executive manager for the Taungurung Land and Waters Council and was winner of the Institute of Public Administration Australia’s Young Indigenous Leader Scholarship for Victoria in 2018.
Aside from her list of professional achievements, she is first and foremost passionate about her club and its future.
“I started playing netball at the club in 2003,’’ she said.
“For many years we’ve have been exploring all our options, trying to find something suitable.
“The Outer East league proposed a northern corridor league in 2020, but it never came to fruition.
“We strongly believe the Kyabram district league is our best fit.”
The major reason behind the club being unsuccessful in obtaining support to join the KDL has been the travel.
Cavanagh said this was a non-issue, considering the league structure that would see clubs come to Broadford — an hour-and-a-half trip at most — only once a season.
Her club is even prepared to change its colours for a potential meeting with traditional KDL Kangaroos club Girgarre.
“We played against the Sunbury Kangaroos for a number of years and played in the Bombers colours — a black jumper with a red sash,’ she said.
“If we gain admission, we would wear that as a clash uniform.’’
The KDL’s 28 club delegates and the six-member executive of the Kyabram district league hold the fate of the club in their hands, with Broadford required to obtain at least 24 votes in order to win a place as the league’s 15th club.
Cavanagh is waiting for a special general meeting date to be announced for the clubs and the league executive to vote.
“The 14 clubs each get two votes and the executive get a vote each,’’ she said/
“The meeting has to be completed by September 14.
“It has been a challenging battle.
“We are simply looking for a forever home and we are desperate to re-connect with country football and netball.“
Cavanagh said the persistence of her club was based on the face the “KDL’’ had always been a really good fit for her club, for a number of reasons.
“In 2014, we made our first attempt, the then president and a couple of representatives went to a league delegates meeting and attended the final series to plead our the case,’’ she said.
“The clubs, however, didn’t vote in our favour that time around.”
Broadford has been affiliated with three leagues in the past 30 years, the Heathcote league, Riddell league and, more recently, the Outer East league.
For many year before joining the Heathcote league, the Kangaroos played in the now defunct Waranga North East league against the likes of Euroa, Alexandra, Mansfield and Seymour.
Broadford plays in Outer East league’s six team Division two competition and sits fifth on the ladder with two wins from its 15 games.
Other clubs in the competition are Yarra Glen, Alexandra, Powelltown, Warburton and Yarra Junction.
Broadford has two senior football teams and three senior netball teams, but a union with the Kyabram district league would see an expansion of the club.
“We have an Under-18s coach, but don’t have a team at the moment because the Outer East doesn’t have an Under-18s competition in division two,’’ she said.
“We could fill an Under-18s team and we want to get into the Kyabram district league to provide this important platform for our kids.’’
Broadford also has an Under-17s netball team and three senior teams, with plans to expand that if successful in its bid to join the KDL.
“There are two junior netball clubs in the town that generally have a surplus of players each year and having the option to field teams in the Under-11, 13, 15 competitions is exciting,” she said.
Broadford’s junior football netball club is affiliated with the Goulburn Murray Junior league and fields four football and three netball teams.
Cavanagh said her meetings with club officials had been based on the message that her club would “value add’’ to the league.
Her forward-thinking approach to club management last year allowed the Yea club, which was struggling for numbers, to join forces with Broadford and solve the former Kyabram district league’s player shortage issues in the Outer East league.
Cavanagh said her club was on a “really good journey in regard to its culture and football and netball administration’’.
It is a message she is attempting to deliver in person to all KDL presidents and she walked out of Hurley’s Hotel on a Tuesday afternoon content with the discussion she had with four of its members.
“By the end of the lunch, all the presidents had shifted a few views,’’ she said.
“I went to Violet Town to meet their president and have spoken to both Joey Pollock from Avenel and Jake Lloyd from Nagambie on the phone.
“A couple of clubs won’t talk, which is disappointing, and I’m yet to connect with a couple of others.
“I was hoping to be able to speak at the recent league delegates meeting at Merrigum, but that opportunity was postponed.
“Instead, I have recently developed an information sheet for their committees to digest and I am offering to zoom in or even travel to these places if required.
“For every concern that has been put to us, we have a genuinely positive reply.’’
Cavanagh said there were people that were prepared to listen and she had even heard concerns about the size of Broadford and its potential to dominate the competition.
“We have the Mitchell Shire baseball and soccer clubs in Broadford.
“They are competing strongly with us for open space and members.
“When you break down the population into the relevant demographics we definitely don’t have an advantage.’’
She pointed to the fact Kilmore, Wallan and Seymour were all within half an hour and were all in different leagues.
“We have to apply the same player points as anyone else and our focus is to try and develop our home-grown talent.
“We want to do that in the country and we strongly believe our club values strongly align with the KDL,” she said.
Broadford has secured letters of support as part of the evidence it plans to present to the KDL — the dream for the southern club to avoid the regular two hours of travel its footballers and netballers face at the moment.
She said if Murchison is considered the centre of the Kyabram district league the distance to Broadford was within reach of all clubs.
“Avenel is only 27 minutes away and Tallygaroopna (the furthest trip) is less than an hour and a half,” she said.
Cavanagh said she hoped the decision of clubs did not come down to individual opinions or historical personal experience.
“I don’t think I could have done much more. People shouldn’t have any pre-conceived ideas about us as a club, we want people to understand our values and the journey we are on,” she said.
Broadford’s slightly checkered history appears to be still hanging over the club, the past behaviours of others some decades ago is something the current administration is having to wear.
“We have no time to spend on poor behaviour. It would be out the door as quickly as it came in,’’ Cavanagh said.
“We’ve proven time and time again, year on year, that we are a new club.’’
Broadford had four netball teams in finals last year, and on the weekend were involved in three preliminary finals with reserves football and A and B-grade playing.
“It is the first time the footballers have played a final since 2015. We have been slowly rebuilding,” she said.
Cavanagh said the club was seeking a new senior coach for 2024 and were in negotiations with players, not knowing what league they would be in for 2024.
“We just want a fair hearing and the chance to answer any worries the clubs have,’’ Cavanagh said.
“I hope everyone reads our information sheet and takes it to their committees if we haven’t spoken to them.’’