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Sporting Hall of Fame

The Sporting Hall of Fame is an educational resource that acknowledges and honours members of the Bankstown community for their outstanding sporting achievements.

 

About the Hall of Fame

​In August 2011, Council endorsed the proposal to revive the Bankstown Sporting Hall of Fame within the new Centre of Excellence constructed at Bankstown Memorial Park.

The Sporting Hall of Fame is an educational resource that acknowledges and honours members of the Bankstown community for their outstanding sporting achievements. The Hall of Fame serves as a point of interest to residents, visitors, sport enthusiasts and school children.

In 1988, Council and Bankstown Sports Club established a Sporting Hall of Fame as part of the Bicentenary Program. On 26 November 1988, 101 names, representing 25 different sports were unveiled on a roll of honour or board located at Bankstown Sports Club. The original intention was for Council to add new names as they qualify, however, this only happened in 1991 when a further 7 names were recognised and added to the board. Athletes inducted into the Hall of Fame during this period included Steve and Mark Waugh, John and Isla Konrads and Terry Lamb to name a few. The 2012 Bankstown Sporting Hall of Fame recognises all inductees from t​he 1988 Hall of Fame by automatically inducting them into the new Sporting Hall of Fame.

In 2012, the Steering Committee setup by representatives from Council, Bankstown Sports, Bankstown-Canterbury Torch Newspaper and Bankstown District Cricket Club called for nominations from the community to form a new induction cycle at the official opening of the new facility in March 2013. From the nominations, 23 athletes and administrators were chosen by the Committee to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Among the athletes inducted were Hazem El Masri, Brett Emerton, Ian Thorpe and Bilal 'Billy the Kid' Dib.

Sporting Hall of Fame​ inductees
Search by sport category

Athletics

Baseball

Basketball

Boxing

Cricket

Cycling

Gymnastics

Rugby League

Rugby Union

Soccer

Swimming

Touch Football

Track & Field

Weightlifting

Wrestling

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Soccer
Brett Emerton
Brett emerged as a potential star of Australian soccer from his teenage years as a winger with speed, ball control and creativity. His debut match for Australia was in 1998 against Chile and he would become a stalwart of the Socceroos with 97 appearances in the green and gold to date. Brett began to scale the heights of world football in the early 2000s. After a solid performance as captain of the Australian U23s at the Sydney Olympics he was signed by Dutch giants Feyenoord and joined them in 2000.
Rugby League
Bruce Hopkins
Bruce's rugby league career was interrupted by WWII and he would play sporadically for the Armed Services between 1944 and 1946. In 1947 Bruce signed with Canterbury and was chosen for NSW but pulled out of the team due to injury.
Cycling
Bruce Keech
Bruce created an early impact on National Cycling when at 17 years of age he was selected to ride for Australia in the World Junior Championships in France. Keech won numerous state and national titles. At 21 years he would wear the green and gold for Australia at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and the Auckland Commonwealth Games in 1990.
Canoeing
Bryan Coulthart
In October 1984, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Gary and his twin, Bryan of Sefton didn't just break records they annihilated them. As 15 year olds, the brothers sliced a massive 1 hour and 35 minutes from the ‘junior' record for the Windsor to Brooklyn Outward Bound Canoe Classic.
Softball
Callum Beashel
Callum is an outstanding softballer who contributes to the sport as an athlete, but also gives back as a coach at local, state and Australian levels
Swimming
Cheryne Turner
Cheryne burst onto the national swimming scene as a fifteen year old in 1967 when she would win the 220yds Women's Australian Butterfly event. In 1968 she would establish an Australian Record for the same distance while competing at the NSW Swimming Titles.
Rugby League
Chris Anderson
Originally from Condobolin NSW, Chris Anderson's ability to finish off attacking moves was almost uncanny. One of the first of the modern brand of wingers granted a 'roving commission' to link with the attack anywhere on the field, representative honours came to him in 1974 when he was chosen for NSW. In 1975 he was selected to represent Australia in the World Cup Series.
Rugby League
Chris Mortimer
Chris Mortimer was the youngest of the three famous brothers to play for Canterbury during the late 1970s and 1980's. 'Louie' was a robust centre who later moved effectively into the forwards at lock and was a member of Canterbury's premiership winning sides in 1980 & 1984-85. He also enjoyed success at representative level playing eight matches for NSW in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1986.
Wrestling
Chris Stephens
Chris was an excellent wrestler who won two national, junior and senior, championships. He went on to represent Australia at the Edmonton, Canada Commonwealth Games in 1978.
Cycling
Chris Wilson
Chris made his impact on cycling early in his career by winning NSW Cyclist of the Year for the Under 15s in 1976.
Volleyball
Christine Mokotupu
In 1998, when Christie was just 14, she was awarded a scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. Her aptitude for the game was such that the following year she was selected to compete at the Under 16 and Under 17 Australian Championships, against girls much older than herself..Christie's rise in volleyball was meteoric and she was selected in 1999 as a member of Australian senior team where her athleticism and aggression would prove valuable. Christie was selected to represent Australia at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and played in the first 6 games for Australia in at the age of 17.
Basketball
Damian Keogh
An outstanding fifteen year international basketball career, Damian wore the green and gold on more than 200 occasions including representation at three Olympics. During his distinguished career he captained the Bankstown Bruins and was known for his toughness, defence, leadership and a lethal three point shot.
Rugby League
David Gillespe
One of the hardest tacklers in the game, and as his nickname ‘Cement' implied David's career was built on his ability to tighten defences in the middle and to hit the defensive line.
Rugby League
David Klemmer
David made his debut with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and then moved to Newcastle Knights before signing with the Wests Tigers, his current team
Swimming
Denise Beckwith
Denise Beckwith is a former Australian Paralympic swimmer who made significant contributions to the sport and community from 1992 to 2000
Booking information

Guided tours of the Hall of Fame are available by appointment with the Bankstown District Cricket Club and are suitable for families, schools and community organisations.

Memorabilia from athletes is displayed throughout the facility and the interactive touchscreens allow users to scroll through the inducted athletes and see their achievements.

The Hall of Fame also operates as a business meeting space ideal for workshops or seminars. It can seat 25 people board style or 60 people theatre style with a kitchen available for use.

Click here for more information on using the Hall of Fame