13 September 2024
Local Baseball Women's Baseball
Townsville Baseball – where you come for the sport and stay for the people
story by Connie Rowe, photos by Jo Weiss and Nicola Caldwell.
On the doorstep to the Great Barrier Reef, nestled in tropical north Queensland, there is a small community baseball field. On face value, it appears just like any other – a place to run the dogs, play with the kids or simply go for a stroll.
But Jabiru Park in Townsville is far from ordinary. In fact, it is the simplicity and rawness of what this park represents and the people it unites that makes it so extraordinary.
As most of the country prepares for the upcoming baseball season, the Townsville season is coming to a close.
As the anticipation of the upcoming Grand Final looms for what is sure to be an epic match up full of thrills, spills and firsts for the league, everywhere I look I am reminded of what drew me to this community and more importantly, why I have stayed.
Home to the Baseball Association of Townsville, or affectionately known as ‘BAT’ to the locals, Jabiru Park unites our community.
As the sole baseball fields in town, it doesn’t matter who you play for or what skill level you are at – Jabiru is home to us all.
We may come from all walks of life – military, mining, marine biology, motherhood and more – but when we step onto the diamond, we are all ball players.
From four to 84, juniors, rookies and seasoned players alike, the beauty in the ballpark is that everyone is willing to give it a go and try their best. And that is all anyone can ask or give.
For many like myself, Townsville is not our first home – nor may it be our last.
Moving to a new town can often be daunting, without a support network or an outlet to connect with. That was until, each of us discovered the Baseball Association Townsville. With open arms, the community welcomes each of us into the fold and into the family.
For author Connie Rowe, originally from South Australia, a home has been found in Townsville Baseball
Check the calendars, because Sundays are a write off. From 7:00am the smell of fresh paint drifts across the breeze as lines are marked and cutouts raked to welcome the first pitch.
On the field, we leave nothing to chance and push each other to the very end. In Townsville, we play until the last pitch, where teams can come back from the brink of mercy and turn scores around by 20 runs, where walk off home runs can seal minor premierships, and where women playing baseball are simply baseballers.
As time and game is called, the humble clubhouse is where you’ll find us; not just the team that came out top for the day, but all teams merged as one. Under the shade of the nearby ghost gums, we see in the dusk – full of laughter, banter and a few light hearted jests.
The prize for the winners of the Grand Final ahead – the intercity cups, this year with a home ground advantage.
They’ll be a battle for the winners with our neighbours around the corner in Cairns.
Week in, week out, we may be competitors but at our heart we are stronger together and it doesn’t take much to bring us together. Nothing speaks truer than when it comes to an intercity challenge.
With our nearest neighbours Cairns, a five-hour road trip just around the corner, we relish the chance to wear our city’s name on our chests with pride. We train hard, we play hard, but most of all we do what we do for each other – on and off the field.
As the sun sets over the ranges, over another season, over the final training session before the big day, I look around me to the smiles on the faces of my closest friends. Long, hard days at work seem a distant memory washed away by the simplicity that is a game of catch.
Four clubs, one association, one family.
