Shepparton Netball Association will honour the late Val Barrass when the season kicks off on Saturday.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
If the sport of netball had saints, Shepparton’s would be Val Barrass.
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For more than 80 years Barrass was Shepparton Netball Association’s constant, its pulse, that beat palpably during a full lifetime of Saturdays spent court side.
A scorer, an umpire, a best-and-fairest winner, a custodian of rules, a quiet force who conducted Brauman St’s cheerful cacophony every weekend, Barrass’ tenure ended on March 16 when she died peacefully aged 94 years.
And as the association opens its season this Saturday with a minute’s silence before every round, it’s not just marking the passing of a person — it’s the closing chapter of a legacy that spans the better part of netball’s modern history.
She entered the Shepparton netball scene in 1943 at 12 years old, lured in by a casual call to arms from a teacher needing an extra body on the basketball court.
Barrass said yes and she never said no again.
She laced up for five decades, umpired for decades more and when the body didn’t allow it — though her mind was sharp, able and itching to play — she rose to the throne of the control box.
During her time with the SNA Val Barrass embodied the true definition of what a volunteer is.
Every Saturday, like clockwork. Rain, shine or Shepparton frost.
And though she never collected a cent for her umpiring efforts — she used to speak about being “a multi-millionaire if I got paid like they get paid now” — her wealth was measured in moments.
In whistle blows, gravel court burns, chalked-up wins and the thrilled chatter of the all-abilities players who would race to her with the day’s goal tally.
The kids may have thought they were reporting the score.
They were really paying homage.
Barrass began when the game was still called women’s basketball, before netball was a term that even lingered on the lips of Australians.
She watched the game evolve from cowbells to digital timers, from dust to asphalt, from a local pastime to a nationally-televised sport.
And still, every weekend, she sat in her perch above the courts — watching, guiding, remembering.
Her name is etched not just in SNA’s history books, but also physically into its very infrastructure: The Val Barrass Control Box.
The Val Barrass Control Box stands proudly in the heart of the Brauman St netball courts.
It’s not just a booth. It’s a shrine. A reminder of what it means to give, without need of reward, or ego, or even recognition.
However, that doesn’t mean Barrass flew under the radar.
Rather, her accolades came in spades: life membership, long service and distinction awards with the SNA, a Netball Victoria Distinction Award and a City of Greater Shepparton Sports Award to name a few.
SNA also named an umpires award in Barrass’ honour, given to up-and-coming officials each year.
At her 80-year celebration of volunteering at SNA, president Marilyn Wall honoured Barrass with a sentiment echoed by the thousands who’d crossed paths with her on Saturday mornings.
“I think we would all agree that 80 years of continuous service to one organisation is a remarkable feat and SNA has been extremely lucky and honoured to have had this commitment from you Val,” Wall said.
“We appreciate and sincerely thank you for all you have given to our organisation.”
Saturday mornings won’t quite feel the same without the association’s superwoman.
And this weekend, with the games under way and the umpire’s whistle slicing the air, there will be a stillness.
One minute. One pause. One breath for Barrass.
Then the game will begin again, as it always has because that’s what she would’ve wanted — not mourning, but movement.
And somewhere, whether from the heavens or the rafters or the quiet folds of memory, Barrass will be watching to make sure the clock’s running, the umpires are on time and the kids are playing their hearts out.
Like she did, every Saturday, for more than 80 years.
