News
David Abood makes clean-sweep in 2010 State of Origin Appointments
David Abood has continued to prove himself as the equal best Sideline Official in the NRL by being appointed to all three of the recent State of Origin games.
David, with fellow Sideline Official Paul Holland and Referees Tony Archer and Shayne Hayne, was appointed to all three State of Origin games and performed exceptionally well. The appointment to these fixtures is a credit to David and is a prime example for junior referees of what continued hard work and determination can result in.
Congratulations to David on an outstanding season thus far.
Adam Gee makes NRL Debut
Adam Gee has been elevated to NRL, making his debut recently in Auckland as a Sideline Official. After a number of successful years in the NSW Premier Squad and more recently the NRL Squad, Adam debuted on Saturday 15th May at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland in the NZ Warriors and North Queensland Cowboys fixture. Adam performed admirably and has taken the next big step in his refereeing career.
Congratulations to Adam on this fine achievement.
Pre-Season Seminar
The Association has kicked off the new season with a very informative and beneficial seminar having been conducted on Sunday 28th February.
The program for the day was very comprehensive, and covered the topics of judiciary, rulings, administration, training and development, control and positioning. We were also very fortunate to have NRL Referee Jason Robinson give a talk on his career as a referee, as well as learn from him what is required in order to make it at the top of the game.
Members in attendance were also issued with their new on-field gear for the 2010 season, with the Association adopting the pink solid-colour jerseys.
The Committee would like to extend thanks to Jason Robinson for giving up his time to attend, as well as Gavin Beecroft and Lionel Brown for organising the day.
2010 Annual General Meeting
On the 18th of February, the Association held its Annual General Meeting for the 2010 season. The AGM this year was a significant event as it saw the Association's longest serving President, Mr Paul Archer, elect not to stand for the position after having served for the longest period of time of any President to date.
The election results from the meeting for Committee positions were:
- President: John McCormack
- Vice-President: Chris Cafarelli
- Secretary: Mario Cafarelli
- Treasurer: Brad Zarb
- Assistant Secretary: Warren Gee
- Social Secretary: Gavin Beecroft
- Committee Member: Lionel Brown
- Committee Member: Adam Gee
NRL and NSW Grand Final Appointments for Canterbury Members
Congratulations to the following members on their respective appointments to NSW, Toyota Cup and NRL Grand Final games this weekend:
- David Abood: NRL Sideline Official
- Richard Daizli: Toyota Cup Sideline Official
- Mat Damaso: Toyota Cup Stand-By Sideline Official
- Adam Gee: VB NSW Cup Referee
- Jimmy Oliveria: Arrive Alive Cup Sideline Official
All of our graded members have worked very hard this season and this is a just reward for their own individual efforts.
The Association also extends a special congratulations to David Abood, who is doing not only his first NRL Grand Final but it will double as his 200th First Grade game. This is an outstanding achievement for David and we wish him and all our members great success this weekend.
Vale Michael Chahoud
It's with deep regret that I must inform you of the passing of one of our long serving members, Michael Chahoud.
Michael passed away on Thursday 1st October after a long battle with cancer. Michael was a proud and loyal member within this association and will be sadly missed. The association committee and members would like to send their condolences to his family at this sad time.
Michael's funeral will be held on Saturday 3rd October at St Joespeh's Catholic Church Belmore, commencing at 10:00am.
2009 District Season Concludes
The 2009 CBDJRL competition came to a close on the last weekend of August with the Grand Final series taking place at the Crest Stadium on the Saturday and Hammnodville Oval on the Sunday.
The weather across the weekend was perfect for finals footy, with a number of close and exciting games played. There were some excellent performances by the referees as well. Once again, the A Grade competition this year was close and in the end it was Reg Marks who took out the top spot.
The final general meeting was held the week following the Grand Finals, this meeting being the Leo Randle Meeting. An astounding number of members were in attendance for the meeting at which our current and longest serving President, Mr Paul Archer, advised the membership that he will not be seeking re-election at the 2010 AGM. At the conclusion of the meeting the members enjoyed a special convivial meal and looked back on what was the 2009 district season.
With some of our members in the NSW and NRL squads still officiating we wish them the best for their appointments in the upcoming NSW and NRL finals series.
2009 Interstate Referee Exchange Program
The 2009 Interstate Referee Exchange Program has been a great success. This year we once again conducted our exchange program with West Australia and the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
In mid-July, John Gorzanelli and Robert Dubois travelled to Perth where both members refereed A-Reserve competition games, amongst others across the weekend. On this same weekend, Brandon Burgess and his chaperone in Paul Beasant ventured to Canterbury from the Sunshine Coast. Brandon showed a great deal of talent on the field and was a credit to his Association as he managed to impress not only the Canterbury Advisory Board but also our local clubs.
In late July, it then became Scott Butler's turn to visit the Sunshine Coast with chaperone John McCormack. Scott refereed a number of games across the weekend and showed our Queensland counterparts some of the talent we have here in Canterbury.
John, Robert and Scott were all worthy recipients of this opportunity and conducted themsleves in the professional manner that Canterbury is renowned for. All three members were very grateful for the chance to experience being a part of the game in a very different setting, and we look forward to a continued successful exchange program in the future.
Congratulations David Abood
Congratulations to David Abood on his appointment as a Sideline Official for Game 3 of the 2009 State of Origin Series.
David has been a graded official with the NSWRLRA and NRL for 14 years and has worked hard to get to the top and achieve this outstanding appointment. David continues to set a fine example to younger referees of what hard work and commitment will achieve in this game and we commend his recent achievements in the game.
Game Three of the State of Origin is on the 15th of July at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
State of Origin II Appointments
Congratulations to Mat Damaso and David Abood on their respective appointments to State of Origin II in Sydney.
Mat has been appointed as a Touch Judge for the U/18's NSW vs Qld game whilst David has been appointed as the Stand-By Sideline Official for the main game. Both members have worked very hard to receive these prestigous appointments and we look forward to their continued success in the future.
2009 Blue and White Cabaret
Sunday the 7th of June saw the Association host its' premier event, The Blue and White Cabaret, at the Canterbury Leagues Club.
The evening commenced with drinks and canapes in the Terrace Bar where members, their partners and guests mingled before heading into the Blueberry Hill Room where the formalities commenced. The Association President, Paul Archer, welcomed our guests which included Peter and Julie Winchester (Sponsor - Canterbury League Club), Paul and Yvette Hasarati (Sponsor - Ronnies Demolition and Excavation), Brian Tovey (CBDJRL President), Glenn and Bronwyn Jackson (NSWRLRA), Frank and Marie Leonard (NSWRLRA) and Greg and Carolyn McCallum (NSWRLRA) and representatives from various distrcit Associations.
The formal proceedings saw two highly esteemed members recognised for their achievements at a higher level of the game. Adam Gee and David Abood both had successful seasons last year, with Adam controlling the NSW vs Qld u/16 State of Origin and the Jim Beam Cup Grand Final, whilst David officiated as sideline official during the NRL Final Series and later in the World Cup Series. Both members received momentos for the occasion from the association.
The night was a rousing success for Social Secretary Gavin Beecroft and his Social Committee of Chris Cafarelli, Adam Gee and Feras Karem. There was plenty of eating, drinking and dancing and a fantastic night was had by all.
(Look under the Photo Albums link for pictures from the night)
Test Match Appointment for David Abood
Congratulations to the association's Vice-President, David Abood, on his appointment as the Stand-By Sideline Official for the Trans-Tasman Test between Australia and New Zealand on Friday, 8th of May at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. This is a well deserved appointment for David and we look forward to his further success in the game.
Leading district referee Brad Zarb has completed a very successful year by controlling his first A grade grand final. With that appointment, Brad receives the Clubb-Johnson Trophy for the 2007 season.
Brad has been a consistent achiever over the last few years and his success in 2007 is an outstanding reward for his consist and determined efforts.
Congratulations to Brad for an excellent achievement and may he continue to succeed in the future.
Dennis Hinds, Reg Marks, Brad Zarb, Chris Cafarelli, Salim Daizli, Glenn Jeffcoat.
On the weekend of July 20-21 the association sent two young referees away as part of exchange programs with Western Australia and Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Chris Cafarelli visited Perth where he refereed u15s and u17s and was also a touch judge for a Tooheys Cup A grade fixture, whilst on the Sunshine Coast Graham Hinds refereed his first u16s match on the Friday evening and backed up Saturday morning for an u14s game.
Both referees gained an enormous amount of experience on and off the field and have come home with a bit of an insight into how other states go about their affairs. They also saw first hand the differences in the various standards of football around the country.
On the Sunshine Coast Mark Langlands and Paul Beasant made their guests feel very welcome and the Perth visitors were equally well hosted by Peter Watkins and Greg Raftery.
The association has extended its thanks to these gentlemen and to both the Western Australian Referees' Association and the Sunshine Coast/Gympie Referees' Association for allowing us to be able to visit their districts and for making our members feel at home.
Both associations have indicated they are looking forward to sending their referees to the Canterbury-Bankstown District in 2008 and we look forward to their visits next year.
Chris Cafarelli Graham Hinds
MORE PHOTOS IN THE ALBUMS SECTION
The association celebrated the Annual Blue & White Cabaret in style last Sunday 10th June in the Bluberry Hill function room at the Canterbury League Club. Members met for pre dinner drinks in the Terrace Bar where they were joined by guests Peter Winchester from Canterbury League Club, Paul & Yvette Hassarati of Ronnies Environmental Services and Andrew Taylor of As Clean As A Whistle drain cleaning services. Other guests included Dennis Spagarino, Michael Stone and Russle Smith with their partners Karen, Judy and Tracy. Representatives from various kindred associations were also present.
The highlight of the evening was presentation of Life Membership to Mr. Chris Bettiol. Chris, with his wife Vanessa, accepted the honour with grace and thanked all members for their support.
Vanessa and Chris Bettiol
All members and guests had an enjoyable evening, which concluded in the small hours of Monday morning.
Long serving member Colin Turnell was represented with his Life Membership Blazer on Thursday 26th April in front of a large gathering of members and guests.
Fellow Life Member Tod Walker presented Col with his blazer and pin. Colin responded by thanking all members and took the opportunity to relate a few tales from years gone by.
Special guests at the meeting included NSWRL Referees' Development Manager, Tony Danks and NRL referee, Tony Archer. Both Tonys addressed the meeting and gave members an insight into their respective roles in rugby league.
The meeting was followed by a convivial and the night ended with a few senior members seen looking for cabs in the small hours of the morning.
Adam Gee has been graded in to the NSWRL Referees' squad. Adam began refereeing with Canterbury when he was just fourteen. He secured his first A grade appointment in 2004 and followed that up by controlling two successive A grade Grand Finals in 2004 and 2005.
Adam spent a few year in the Interdistrict Representative Squad where he refereed a number of Harold Matthews, S.G. Ball and Jersey Flegg matches. His grading is a reward for his efforts over the years and marks the start of the next phase of his refereeing career.
Congratulations to Adam and we hope he has a successful future in grade.
