MATURE ATHLETES DARWIN
‘MAD FROGS’
Spawned in 2000
Founding members: Nola Brockie, Jennie Duffield, Beryl Edwards, Lyn Guelfi, Elaine Holmes,
Shaun Rawlings
Club patrons: Rik and Ursula Ralph
But our story began long before 2000…….
THE MAD FROGS STORY
In 1996, Nola Brockie travelled to Alice Springs to ‘suss out’ the Masters’ Games and decided, yes can do this.
Eighteen months of regularly ringing the NT Athletics office requesting a coach for ‘mature athletes’ resulted in Jennie Duffield stepping forward and accepting the challenge. In June 1998, Sunday afternoon training began.
This small group consisting of Nola, Ruth Garden, Elaine Holmes, Darryl Manzie and Bernie Trinne, competed in the NT Championships in 1998 followed by the Alice Springs Masters Games, marking the first time a team had represented Darwin in athletics at the Games.
Gaining confidence and success at the 1999 NT Championships, on 28 November 1999, over lunch at Stokes Hill Wharf, a steering committee was formed to officially launch an athletics club for mature athletes.
