Club History
A brief history of hockey in the Northern Territory
Hockey was first played in the Northern Territory in Darwin in 1940 with teams from the services competing for the Abbott Shield. The competition had six clubs, several having multiple teams. The first Darwin Hockey Grand Final was played between mobile A and Mobile B, finishing in a 1–1 draw. The replay match was held the following Tuesday with Mobile A defeating Mobile B 1–0 to claim the first Abbott Shield.
The Northern Territory Hockey Association was formed in Darwin during 1948 and commenced its competition during the wet season of 1949-50. Hockey continued to grow through the 1950s and 1960s as more clubs joined the competition. In 1981 a major step was taken to form the Darwin Hockey Association, allowing the Northern Territory Hockey Association to become the state body and control hockey in Darwin, Gove and Alice Springs.
CLUB PATRONOur Club Patron, Keith Kemp, also known as the “father of NT hockey’’, arrived in the Northern Territory from Sydney in 1948 with wife Irene. Keith had served as a belly-runner in the Lancaster bombers during the war and this was when he’d first visited Darwin. Keith worked locally as a storeman at first, before Managing the Davies Sports Store. He eventually opened his own sports store, Keith Kemp’s Sportsworld, which was the place of choice for all of Darwin’s sporting needs. Keith had a great love of all sports – from ballroom dancing to football. He was involved with the Commerce Hockey Club as a player, coach and administrator, collecting a number of awards and accolades along the way. His honours include an Order of Australia Medal, Life Member of the Darwin Hockey Association and Hockey NT, including an induction into the NT Hall of Champions in 2006. Both Keith and Irene were loyal supporters to all grades of the hockey club and could be seen sitting on the sidelines every weekend. Irene passed in 2006, ending a 58 year union. The main hockey stand at Marrara Hockey Centre is named after the couple. Keith continued to support each and every grade, up until his passing in 2016 at age 91. |
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In Memory Of Karl BerryKarl Berry commenced playing for Commerce-PINTS Hockey Club in 1997. He passed away in April 2013, from a snake bite received when he removed a juvenile snake from the area where club juniors were training. He was 26 years old. He captained the Men’s A-grade side; he umpired, coached, and represented the Territory in under-15 and under-18 sides. Karl also sat on the club committee and enjoyed the social scene of the club. Karl was affectionately admired by many. He was also a bit of a larrikin who had many friends. Informally, he was known in sport circles as Darwin’s ‘Mr Hockey’. Karl is survived by his father Ian, mother Judy and twin brother, Martin. They are all still active within the club. |
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