Celebrating our 2023 Life Members
By BACT Media Unit – 29 February 2024
A major element of Basketball ACT’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is the process of recognising members of our basketball community through the Honours and Awards Committee.
At the AGM on Tuesday 27 February 2024 at Canberra Southern Cross Club, Phillip, three long-term servants of our sport received one of the highest honours, Life Membership of Basketball ACT.
All three inductees have been involved with the sport of basketball for many years, sacrificing hundreds of hours of their time and filling a variety of roles with clubs in our region and beyond such as playing, coaching, administration or Board activities.
Congratulations to Kelly Grandin, Bruce Minerds and Allan Yates on becoming Life Members of Basketball ACT. Below is a brief outline of their basketball history:
| Kelly Grandin | 2024 marks Kelly Grandin’s 25th year of coaching at the Ginninderra Rats Basketball Club. Having played for some 20 years, it is court side where Kelly has made an immense impact after commencing her coaching career at the age of just 13 with the Under 10 Girls. All bar one season since, Kelly has been coaching in the Rats girls program, delivering expert tutelage to help young girls develop the skills and confidence to succeed in the game. Kelly is the most passionate advocate for the development of young female players. This extends well-beyond the Ginninderra Rats Club, with Kelly a long-term and highly respected coach across Basketball ACT representative programs over many years. Across the most recent three years Kelly has been Assistant Coach on the ACT Under 18 Girls team. While having been involved at Rats as a volunteer coach and, she has provided a long-standing commitment to various BACT representative and development programs, including in her current role as Assistant Coach on the ACT Under 18 Girls program. |
| Bruce Minerds | Bruce Minerds has been an integral member of the Basketball community for over 50 years but he has held leadership roles across numerous clubs. Since 1977 he has been on the basketball committees of Ginninderra Rats, Marist College and up to the present day with the Warriors. He was also on the Board of BACT. He has been involved in the organising of the WarriorsNAIDOC Tournament since its inception, this is the biggest sports Tournament held in the ACT during NAIDOC week. Bruce is well respected in the ACT and has been a mentor to a number of new coaches. His philosophy has always been giving all juniors an opportunity to enjoy the game and encourages players to give it their best. He has coached players of varying levels including players with intellectual and behavioural difficulties. Bruce inspires other coaches to adhere to these values. |
| Allan Yates | Starting his playing and coaching career in Sydney in the 60’s and 70’s, Allan moved to the ACT as a sports reporter. Through his time in Canberra, Allan continued to expand his involvement with basketball with coaching opportunities in the South Pacific, including a stint as Head Coach of the National Vanuatu Men’s and Women’s teams. Locally, Allan played for Charnwood Ramblers (now Belconnen Ramblers) in their formative years, as well as served on their committee, and Ginninderra Rats (as player and coach). After making his NBL debut with Illawarra Hawks in 1980, Yates was part of the 1982 Canberra Cannons squad. Allan continued to coach through the 80’s and 90’s, and in 1998 was elected President of Basketball ACT (serving for 2 years). Allan has been involved in many significant basketball related milestones and events, including as a technical consultant for Basketball Australia to support WNBL’s first television coverage, as Manager of Media and Public Relations on the Sydney 2000 Olympics, and stints at the Australian Sports Commission and Australian Institute of Sports. In 2018, Yates became President of Basketball ACT once again, where he sat on the Basketball Australia Commission and their COVID Recovery Taskforce. |
Presentation of our 2023 Life Member Awards will be made at Basketball ACT’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dinner on Saturday – 13 April 2024 – at the Canberra Southern Cross Club, Phillip.
So come and celebrate our Life Members, as well as 75 years of basketball in the Canberra region, with us by grabbing your table TODAY.
Further details about Basketball ACT’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dinner, including costs and ticket purchases, can be found by clicking the below button:
Tickets – Basketball ACT 75th Anniversary Reunion DinnerYou can also find out further details about Basketball ACT’s 75th Anniversary Reunion Dinner by contacting Basketball ACT at: