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Carnival History

I am currently collecting information, photos and articles about the carnival.  This page will be a work in progress as more information comes to hand. Below is a summary of the carnival's history. Please feel free to contact me if you have something to add or you feel something is incorrect.

 

The Lismore Under 12 Carnival is now in its 35th year.  It is believed to be the longest running U12 carnival in Australia and certainly one of the biggest.

 

The carnival was first played in 1984 with only 4 teams participating.  Local boy, Matthew Phelps, played in the first carnival before going onto bigger and better things with the NSW Blues.  Matthew returned to the carnival in 2015 as a father and as coach of the Manly-Warringah team who were runners-up in the carnival.

 

Other local boys who played in the carnival and have gone on to play for state, national or international teams are:

  •      Brendan Drew  (1995) - Tasmanian Tigers

  •      Tom Cooper (1997-99) - Aust. U19, South Australian Redbacks, Melbourne Renegades, the Netherlands

  •      Simon Milenko  (2000) - Queensland Bulls, Brisbane Heat, Tasmanian Tigers, Hobart Hurricanes

  •      Ben Cooper  (2003) - The Netherlands

 

Over the years the carnival has been organised by

  • Glenva and Ron Blok who were involved with the carnival in the formative years

  • Mrs Gail Foran who took over in 1994 until 2004 (Northern Star).

  • Subsequently the carnival was jointly organised by Lismore City Council and Goonellabah Cricket Club and then the Marist Brothers Cricket Club.

  • In 2011, John McMahon took over as co-ordinator.  John took the carnival to new heights, increasing the number of  participating teams to 20 from as far afield as Sydney, Illawarra, Armidale, Tamworth and SE QLD.

  • 2015 saw Mrs Berni Cooper take over the role as Co-ordinator.

 

In the history of the carnival it has only been abandoned once, in 2008, when flooding rain ruined the grounds. In 2014, we saw the first all-girls team, the FNC SIxers, participate in the carnival (Northern Star)

 

Below are links to news articles about the carnival from over the years.

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