The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley) (15:19): I rise today to wish the East Torrens Baseball Club all the very best for their 100-year celebrations. It is an absolutely amazing feat to reach 100 years. It is an absolutely exceptional club. I want to thank all the sponsors, the volunteers, the players past and present, and the friends and family who have supported those players. It is an extraordinary effort in reaching 100 years. The club has achieved amazing success during those 100 years and has even had players represent minor and also major league clubs. It was a
tremendous weekend that we celebrated just recently in November.
The East Torrens Baseball Club is better known as the Redsox and it is located in the electorate of Hartley at the moment. It celebrated 100 years as a club on the weekend of 4 November. Many celebrations were held in Felixstow and also surrounding areas. There was a gala dinner that was held on the Friday night at San Giorgio club in Payneham. There was a historic display and a 100-year division 1 game which I attended with my young son, Leonardo, who is now two. He is very fond of baseball already. There was also a Hawaiian family night, special interviews with past and present players, and the opening of a memorabilia exhibition.
The weekend was embraced by past and present players, families and the wider community. There were amazing scenes where we saw three generations, sometimes more, of club members with seniors and juniors also in historic uniforms. In 2023, the Redsox won the South Australian Club of the Year at the 2022 Good Sports Awards. I do want to take this opportunity to thank all the administrators at the club—President Damien Norsworthy, along with the 100-year steering committee of Jared King, John King, Paul Chandler and Angela Probert—for organising what was a truly wonderful weekend.
The East Torrens Baseball Club is a club of family, junior development and senior social baseball, and is also a really loyal place. I would also like to give a big shout-out to Glenn Simmons who this year played his 800th game—800 games is just phenomenal. What an extraordinary feat that is.
