PLC Netball Club

As it is the off season, PLC Netball will profile a series of interviews designed to introduce the people who make up our Club, starting with our president Mr Trevor Colton.

Where did you grow up and go to school? I am a Melbourne boy and lived there for all of my childhood, except for a year spent living with my Grandmother on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands at the age of 7. My high school was Maroondah High; which no longer exists.

What was your first job? At 18 I was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Military College Duntroon. After graduating four years later, I spent the next 16 years in various Army appoints across Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany, mainly in technical roles such as ‘Bomb Disposal’ and ‘IT based Computer Simulation’. I retired after 20 years at the rank of Major.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My mother, who in turn was shaped by her early years. Between the ages of six and 11, my mother lived under Nazi occupation. The lesson she instilled in my sister and I from day one was that, in life you are entitled to nothing, you have to earn everything. 

What sports did you play during your school years? As a male growing up in Melbourne in the 1970s, there were only two choices – AFL in the winter and cricket in the summer. In later years, I also played competition volleyball and baseball and was a handy golfer, playing off scratch at the age of 15, but that was a long time ago!

How did you become involved in PLC Netball? That’s simple, it was all Dr Dolling’s doing. During our school interview we arrived at the gym and Dr Dolling asked Ainslie what sports she played. Ainslie replied with a series of individual sports to which Dr Dolling immediately replied; ‘Well, you need to play a team sport’. On arrival at Pacific, Ainslie started playing netball for SCISSA and the Club. My parents were supportive of both my sister and I in terms of our sporting endeavours, which again has influenced me.

What is the most significant achievement of PLC Netball since you became President? I hope that is yet to come. The leadership team has done a fantastic job over the last three years, building the Club to a position where it is recognised by the Caloundra District Netball Association (CDNA) as a viable and integral part of the association. One of our focuses is to work with the CDNA as a centre of netball excellence within the Sunshine Coast. The recent appointment of Christian Gorham as the new Vice President of CDNA is our first step on that journey. Having said that, I am also extremely proud of the Club’s Umpiring and Junior Coaching programs. We have girls as young as Year 7 out there every week umpiring games or coaching teams, which helps build their leadership and decision-making skills.

What are your aspirations for the 2020 season? To continue to build on the efforts of the past and improve in those areas where we have identified improvement is required; particularly in the area of community engagement.

Mr Trevor Colton, PLC Netball Club President