A great success!

What a Night! Emerald Lakers Celebrates the 2025/26 Season

Presentation Night is always one of the highlights of the Emerald Lakers calendar, and this year's event was one to remember. With a fantastic turnout from players, families, coaches, team managers, volunteers and supporters, the evening was a wonderful celebration of another successful season of basketball, friendship and community. After keeping a close eye on the weather forecast all week, we were fortunate to enjoy perfect conditions, allowing families to gather, catch up, and celebrate our players' achievements together.

Throughout the evening, players from across the club were recognised for their effort, development, sportsmanship and commitment to their teams. From our youngest Lakers taking their first steps in the game to our more experienced players, every team had the opportunity to celebrate the season they shared together.

One of the most rewarding parts of the night was seeing so many members of our Lakers family gathered in the one place. The laughter, team photos, proud parents, excited players and countless conversations reminded us exactly what community sport is all about.

Thank You to Our Committee

Events of this scale don't happen by accident... Before anything else, we would like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the Emerald Lakers Committee. Presentation Night is the culmination of months of planning and preparation, and our committee volunteers worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the event ran smoothly. From coordinating awards, trophies and medals to organising raffle prizes, communications, logistics, venue setup, and pack down, countless volunteer hours were invested to create a memorable evening for our members.

A sincere thank you to Ben Kewish, Wei Choong, Alicia Thompson, Dean Prouse, Eleanor Cullen, Chris Harvey, Vanessa Krzywokulski, Luke Hill, Lisa Jackson and Jason Goodwin for their dedication, commitment and willingness to continually step up for our club and its members.

Recognising Those Who Went Above and Beyond

While our committee carried the enormous responsibility of delivering the event, many others generously contributed their time and talents to make the night such a success.

A special thank you to:

• Tamika, for helping distribute medals and awards on the big night

• Travis Adams, for volunteering his time and talent to help capture the evening through photography.

• Rick Ellis, for helping create a fantastic atmosphere with the event lighting.

• Adam Wright, for assisting with setup and preparation.

• Jeanne Smith, for helping with pack down at the end of the night.

• Simon Frederikson, for always being willing to lend a hand wherever needed.

• Ross Thomson, for assisting with pack down and helping return the venue to order.

• Charlie Borin - for the historic signage and memorabilia

• Knox Kewish and Archie Hill, who worked hard preparing and cleaning the floors to ensure the venue looked its best for the evening.

• Our Lakers Helpers, Saige, Ava, Emily and Maggie, who brought enthusiasm, energy and plenty of helping hands throughout the event.

• The players and volunteers who helped with setup and pack down throughout the day.

• A special thank you to Pixel Booth for providing the photo booth experience on the night. The booth was a huge hit with players, families and volunteers, helping create plenty of fun memories throughout the evening.

To learn more about Pixel Booth, visit: https://pixelbooth.com.au/

Community clubs are built on volunteers, and Presentation Night was a wonderful reminder of just how many people contribute behind the scenes to create opportunities for our players and families.

Capturing the Memories

A special thank you also goes to our photography team, Alicia Thompson from In The Hills Photography and Travis Adams of Travis Adams Photography, who generously volunteered their time and talent to capture the evening.

Their photos have beautifully preserved the smiles, celebrations and special moments that made Presentation Night so memorable.

Members can view and download the photo galleries here:

https://www.emeraldlakers.com.au/presentationnightpics2026

Supporting the Club

Presentation Night wasn't just a celebration of the season. It was also a wonderful demonstration of the support that exists within the Emerald Lakers community.

In just over a week, our Presentation Night raffle raised an incredible $2,165 through ticket sales alone.

Combined with merchandise sales, drinks and other purchases on the night, our Lakers families once again showed just how willing they are to support the club and the opportunities we provide for local players.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who purchased raffle tickets, bought merchandise, grabbed a drink, or contributed in any way. Every dollar raised helps us continue investing in our players, programs, and club community.

Thank You, Lakers Community

Finally, thank you to every player, parent, coach, team manager, volunteer and supporter who attended.

The strength of Emerald Lakers has always been our community, and Presentation Night was a wonderful reflection of that.

We are incredibly proud of everything our players achieved throughout the 2025/26 season and grateful to everyone who contributes to making our club such a positive and welcoming place.

Thank you for being part of the Emerald Lakers family. We can't wait to do it all again next time!

🏀💚