About the Bulls Men's Division 78yrs young

Traveling to Victoria Park fixtures was a mammoth affair for the Bulimba players who were referred to as 'Islanders'. They were forced to take the paddle wheel steamer "The Hetherington". Most players avoided paying the half-penny fare and dodged the conductor so they could buy a penny frozen orange or two iceblocks after the game at Father Kelly's store in the Valley. Most players walked to Victoria Park or doubled mates on their pushbikes. Certainly nostalgic history, but no club survives on nostalgia alone, only human dedication combined with the love of the sport.

Many hours of daylight training on the Bulimba Memorial Park were spent learning the skills of hockey, and at night with no floodlights, for physical condition, the teams played a game of soccer. With the comradeship amongst the club members and the hours of training, Bulimba improved their hockey immensely. The Club's No. 1 team worked their way through the grades of the Brisbane Hockey Association.

1945-46 B2

1947-48 B1

1949 Senior

1950 B Senior- undefeated during the season. (Played 14 Won 12, Drew 2. Goals for 51, Goals against 9, Points 26. Then lost the Grand Final to Valley) Team Photo

1951 A Grade 2nd Division- Runners-up to Coorparoo, now Eastern Suburbs

1952 A Grade 2nd Division- Runners-up to Commercial

1953 A Grade 2nd Division PREMIERSHIP

A1 Grade relegation challenge match against bottom A1 team Commercial. Commercial won 1 goal to nil to have the right to be in A grade for 1954 season.

1954 Bulimba promoted to A1 grade when Hamilton withdrew from A1 Grade competition. Bulimba contested the semi-finals in their very first year of A1 Grade; being defeated by Wilston 2 goals to 1 goal

1954-85 Bulimba were coached under the guidance of Greg Browning, an International Hockey Player. He improved the standard of hockey within the Club from Wooden spooners to win the A Grade 1st Division Premiership in 1979 against Commercial. Bulimba's first and only Premiership. Bulimba were runners-up in the A Grade 1st Division in 1978, 1980 and 1982.

1949 Bulimba first Senior Premiership was achieved in B2 Grade.

1953 Jack Higgins was the first Queensland Under 21 representative.

1954 Ian Grant was selected in the Australian Under 21 team from National Championship.

1955 Ian Grant was selected Best and Fairest and an Australian Under 21 team member in Perth.

1961 Bulimba Senior Club provided four playing fields at the Colmslie Reserve for playing Brisbane Hockey Association fixtures.

1965 Bulimba entered seven Junior teams, WINNING TWO PREMIERSHIPS- J2 GRADE AND J7 GRADE.

1967 Bulimba's Junior and Senior Committees prepared Carina for Hockey training - Juniors only.

1968 Senior and Junior fixtures played at Carina.

1972 &1973 Bulimba won back to back the Junior Club Championships.

1973 Neil Bullion was selected Vice-Captain in the Queensland Junior team.

1978 Bulimba assisted the Logan Hockey Club to form their club with the Brisbane Junior Hockey Association.

1979 Bulimba, under the expert coaching of Greg Browning won our fist ever A Grade Premiership at Graceville.

1987 Neil Bullion completed 21 years of hockey and won the deserved Oakbridge Best and Fairest Award.

1993 Bulimba won Junior Club Championship

1997 Bulimba won Senior Club Championship

2016 Bulimba BHL1 and J1 won the Premierships

Past and Present members who have won the prestigious Oakbridge Best and Fairest Medal are- GREG BROWNING, PETER BATTY 2, JOHN RODDA, NEIL BULLION and ORI GASPARINI.

Dean Butler, Stephen Lambert and Troy Elder were named in the Queensland team of the decade 2015.

In 1996 the Club vacated the long held lease at Colmslie to make way for the new State Hockey Centre situated at Col Gardner Drive off Lytton Road.

The club relocated to the Gateway Sports Club at Boundary Street Tingalpa joining forces with Wynnum Soccer, Wynnum Cricket, Bulimba Women's Hockey and LA Blues Softball, but this new venue did not result in any benefit to the club and it made the move to our present day happy association with Carina Leagues Club.

In recent years we have returned to the force we were in the halcyon days of the 1980's when the club was in the thick of premierships and trophies in all divisions. In 1997 eight Teams were in the Semi-finals, with 1st , 3rd & 4th Division winning the Memorial Cup, 3rd,4th & 6th Division winning the Presidents Cup. In the Grand Final Division 3 lost 0-1, Division 4 won 3-1, Division 5 won 2-1 and Division 6 lost on penalty Strokes.

The A Grade team under the leadership of Peter Batty and Sean Dancer accomplished a wonderful run of 4 premierships in a row from 1999 to 2002 and has been a force in the the top 4 or 5 since under Jason Hale, Geoff Hawgood and Troy Elder.

In the junior ranks the greatest success has been the increase in playing strength by two teams from 1996, in Under 11 and Under 15 age groups. This club is going from strength to strength with four teams in the semi-finals and Under 11 Division 1 team winning the Grand Final 2-1.

In 1997 Jason Hale, Jason Mangan, Sean Dancer, Michael Brennan, Scott Brennan, Troy Elder and Dean Butler gained representation in the National Hockey League, with Troy, Dean, Michael and Scott all moving to the Australian Institute of Sport.

In the pre-season, Brisbane representative teams 'train on' squads contained 17 Bulimba Players from Under 11's to the Under 15's. This is a very high level of representation and augers well for future years. An extensive Junior Development Programme, which has concentrated on the education of the coaches, has been a major contributor to this improvement. The future looks bright.

Bulimba are justly proud of their heritage and will continue to contribute to the sport by investing time and resources in "schoolboy" hockey players and their progression through the age groups and into a lifetime of association with the Bulls and Bulimba Hockey.

The Club born from a School by a Sportsmaster and his Schoolboy Hockey Players.

Bulimba players in the HOCKEY QUEENSLAND MEN’S TEAM OF THE DECADE 2005-2015:

Stephen Lambert

Dean Butler

Troy Elder