The Steve Birt Volleyball Knock-out Finals were held over two days at the Sports Stadium at Homebush from 1 July to 2 July.

This Volleyball Carnival is remarkable for the consistency that is shown by a handful of schools in reaching these finals.

Baulkham Hills High School came second and third in 1998 and 1999 and since then has won eight titles consecutively.

Noel Drew (Baulkham Hills HS) retired from teaching at this very carnival five years ago.  Noel’s last two days of teaching were at the Knockout Finals at Homebush.  Noel Drew was at Homebush coaching the girls from Baulkham Hill HS to victory. Yes, Noel Drew still shows the same commitment and dedication to school sport and has continued giving up his time to coach and impart his knowledge of the skills and the tactics of the game to the students at Baulkham Hill High School. 

Bombaderry High School girls coached by Rob Russell reached the finals.  They played a really feisty game with good scramblers and made the most of their opportunities but came up against a very well drilled opposition.

Sydney Boys High School who have dominated the boys’ competition over the past few years were once again victorious even though many of their players were suffering from flue and had to be regularly spelled in the back court. In the past four years Michael Kay’s team has won three titles and reached the semis in the other year.

The boys from Airds High School were runners up at the carnival. 

Great Lakes College was the only school to have both the girls and boys teams reach the semis. Great Lakes College (Boys) coached by Denise Williams (Great Lakes College Forster Campus) has reached the finals three out of the last four years and won once.  The girls from Great Lakes College are coached by Gary Martin (Great Lakes College Tuncurry Senior Campus)

The teams to show strength over the years in Girls Volleyball are Baulkham Hills High School, Great Lakes College, Blayney High School and West Wyalong High School.

The captain of Baulkham Hills HS and also of the NSWCHS team Chloe Groves has represented her school for four years in the knock-out finals.  Freya Johnson of Great Lakes College is also in her fourth year of Open knock-out representation.

The teams who make the grade consistently in Boys Volleyball are Sydney Boys High School, Great Lakes College, Airds High School and West Wyalong High School.

Bill Hilliard (Homebush Boys HS) has been making available for many years accommodation at the school for country school students coming into Sydney for Volleyball tournaments.  He feels that his school is in an enviable situation with its proximity to all venues and he is very keen to help these students experience the facilities and the multicultural aspects of the school. The country students are in awe of the walls of the school which are adorned with sporting photos and art work.  It is this generosity that enables the country students to travel to Sydney for competitions during the year that would otherwise be outside their reach because of the cost factors involved.

Homebush Boys High School has a huge commitment to school sport.  Every head teacher including both deputies takes a semester of sport each year. 

The country students are indebted to Bill Hilliard and the staff of Homebush Boys High School.

 The Winning Baulkham Hills HS Team

L-R BackRow. Catherine Collins, Cassie Monaghan, Loren Mahoney Erin Xu, Maggie Corrigan, Stephanie Chan, Noel Drew L-R Front Row: Serena Clarke, Shirley Huang, Chloe Groves (c), Ann Xiao