Robert O'Neill earns Badminton Victoria life membership

The COVID-19 pandemic rocked community sport on and off the field in terms of player numbers and volunteers and the selfless efforts of volunteers to keep community sport alive can, at times, be grossly undersold by participants and spectators.

That's why volunteers deserve any recognition that comes their way.

Bendigo's Robert O'Neill is a perfect example.

After more than 40 years of service to Bendigo badminton, O'Neill was recently honoured with Badminton Victoria life membership.

"I didn't expect it at all, but it was nice to be recognised at state level for service to the sport of badminton,'' O'Neill said.

"It's an underrated sport in terms of entertainment, exercise and competition.

"We battle for recognition, but we keep working hard."

When O'Neill started his involvement with badminton in 1980, the Bendigo competition was played on a concrete court in one of the sheds at the Prince Of Wales Showgrounds.

A modest O'Neill said he was "just a basher" when it came to playing badminton.

"I didn't start playing until I was 30 and I was just a basher,'' he said.

"I had to stop playing after injuring my shoulder.

"It was something that our kids enjoyed and they had some success at national and state level.

"We did pretty well out of it in terms of reaching a high standard."

Off the court is where O'Neill has made a major impact on the Bendigo Eaglehawk Badminton Association.

He's been on the senior committee for 36 years and was president of the association for 17 years.

He was the tournament director at two national championships in Bendigo in 1993 and 1997 and for the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2004.

He had stints as treasurer of the senior and junior associations, was the North West Region representative of the Victorian Junior Badminton Association for 10 years and for the past 31 years has been on the badminton and table-tennis hall committee.

O'Neill was a key player in the development of the badminton and table tennis stadium in Eaglehawk.

"I remember we spent many a night hammering all the nails into the floorboards for the new courts,'' O'Neill said with a chuckle.

"There were quite a lot of them, but it was worth it.

"Roger Huthnance did all the ground work with council to get some land to build the stadium on.

"Eaglehawk council at the time took up the challenge and that's why the stadium is where it is today in Victoria Street.

"I know I'm biased, but I think it's in the top three badminton stadiums.

"A lot of associations have to play on courts that they share with other sports and the lines can get confusing, but we're lucky to have a stadium that's badminton specific."

It would have been easy for O'Neill to put his feet up after his children stopped their involvement in badminton, but his passion for the game and the local association always wins out.

"One thing rolls into another and you stay involved,'' he said.

"It's a continued drive to get the sport recognised. I still enjoy being part of it."

READ MORE: Flashback to Bendigo sport in April, 2006

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