Former Killarney Vale AFL captain and coach Luke Rankin, of Terrigal, has been elected onto the Black Diamond AFL (BDAFL) Board.
Current president Mr Michael Gray and Board member Wal Bembic were both re-elected for a second term, however, Graham Edgley did not seek re-election due to work commitments. Former Maitland Saints AFC president Kevin Greaves was also elected to the board. Those elected to the Board at the annual meeting on Sunday, November 9, will join existing Board members Phil Lewis, Simon Wood and Roger Price to form the seven man Board. Rankin is a well-regarded figure in AFL circles in the region albeit before the formation of the Black Diamond AFL. He moved to Newcastle in the 1980s where he joined the Warners Bay FC and went on to play in five Newcastle AFL premierships for the club. He was captain of the club’s last premiership team in 1993, a record he said he hoped wouldn’t last much longer. Luke spent two years as captain and coach of Killarney Vale in the Central Coast AFL before returning to Warners Bay in 1996. He then moved to Tasmania and Canberra, playing football in both areas. Rankin currently resides on the Central Coast having returned to the area in the early 2000s and is currently employed as a regional sales manager for Rheem Australia. Both Greaves and Rankin were primary school buddies growing up in Deniliquin, however, did not see each other for 30 years after their families left the area. They did not know the other had nominated for the Board. Mr Gray said he was excited by the make-up of the Board. “To have maximum numbers on the Board is a fantastic result and is a vote of confidence in the current state of the Black Diamond AFL,” Gray said. “There is a great combination of both business and football knowledge on the Board and I look forward to an exciting 12 months ahead.” The annual meeting saw the BDAFL announce a loss of $10,093 for the financial year, however, Gray said this was a result of a strategic decision made by the Board. “The Board decided at the beginning of the year to invest some of their retained earnings into increasing the profile of the league through the engagement of Eclipse Media Events and PR and also BarTV,” he said. “Both of these initiatives were considered a success. “Another factor in the loss was the wet weather during the finals series which resulted in one semi-final day and the Preliminary Finals being relocated. “This had an effect of approximately $7,500 on our projected income,” Gray said. The meeting also saw a minutes silence held for former BDAFL Board member Bill Walford who passed away on Friday, October 31.
Media release,
10 Nov 2014
Garry Burkinshaw, BDAFL