A member of Australian basketball royalty is reliving the Launceston chapter of his distinguished career.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ten years before he became captain of the first Boomers team to contest an Olympic Games abroad, John Heard played in the 1954 Australian under-18 basketball championships.
Returning to Launceston for a holiday, the South Australian-born 82-year-old is keen to track down the family who billeted him 67 years ago.
"It was the very first Australian under-18 men's championships and I was the youngest player," Heard recalled.
"I can't remember exactly where I stayed but I know it was walking distance from town because one afternoon we went up to the Gorge. And we played our first game at the YMCA but so many people wanted to watch that after that they moved the games to the town hall.
"There were four teams involved. I played for South Australia and there was also Tasmania, NSW and Victoria. We played NSW in the final and got beaten by 10 points.
"Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the family I was billeted with but their son was about the same age as me and I think his name was Barry and his father was the local mechanic for Rolls Royce. I would love to track them down if I could.
"I don't remember much more than that - 67 years is a long time ago."
The championships can be attributed for helping launch a hugely successful basketball career.
Heard played point guard for Sturt in Adelaide and Bouncers in Canberra before three years in Sydney and also represented both South Australia and ACT.
He played 40-odd games for the Boomers and attended Olympic Games in Rome in 1960 and Tokyo in 1964 where he captained the side to ninth place with nine wins.
Heard retired in 1973, but continued his involvement with basketball through referee training and education, was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for services to basketball in 2000 and inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Anyone with information about the Launceston family he stayed with can email: rshaw@examiner.com.au