As the Diamond Valley Basketball Association celebrates its 50th anniversary, Robyn Collins reflects on the remarkable contribution of her father, Ron Collins, and the role he played in shaping basketball in Melbourne’s north.
In the early 1970s, Ron was among a group of local men travelling to Coburg and Albert Park to play basketball. With families to support and long drives becoming the norm, conversations soon turned to creating something closer to home.
“Dad and the others knew people from the Victorian Amateur Basketball Association through their own playing days,” Robyn explains. “They began discussing the idea of building a stadium in our area.”
Funding was secured, and Ron was tasked with negotiating land with council. Two sites were considered—one near Greensborough station and the other at Civic Drive.
“Dad believed Civic Drive was the better option because there was room to grow,” Robyn says. “At the time, people thought no one would travel out there—it was basically just a road leading towards Yarrambat and Diamond Creek. But he could see the potential.”
With the land approved, the project moved forward, and the stadium began to take shape.
“We spent so much time there as kids, watching it all come together. Dad was incredibly proud as it neared completion.”
Once the stadium was ready, Ron took on the challenge of building participation from the ground up—visiting local schools and encouraging teams to join the first season. Many of those early teams were named after their suburbs or estates, including Watsonia Heights, Yarrambat and Greenhills.
“It really was a community effort,” Robyn recalls. “Families stepped up, created clubs, and it just kept growing from there.”
Ron’s influence extended beyond administration. He designed and hand-painted the original Eagles logo at the family kitchen table, before it was screen printed onto the first uniforms.
“I still remember the little paint pots and brushes he used,” Robyn says. “The original sample was a blue T-shirt.”
He also played in the first senior men’s championship team and devoted countless hours to coaching. While capable of leading elite sides, Ron chose to focus on junior development.
“He believed those kids deserved the best coaching—the right fundamentals from the start,” Robyn explains. “At one point, he was coaching up to six teams. His knowledge of the game and his ability to connect with people was incredible.”
Ron remained a constant presence at the stadium, playing and coaching right up until his sudden passing in 1991 while still competing in the over-35s.
Basketball became a defining part of family life. All four of Ron’s children played at DVBA, and over time, the next generation followed—taking on roles as players, referees and contributors to the association.
“Three generations of our family have now been part of DVBA,” Robyn says. “It’s always been a special place for us and it always will be.”
As she reflects on the association’s milestone, Robyn is reminded of the many people who helped bring it to life.
“Places like this don’t just happen,” she says. “They take vision, hard work and a community willing to come together. We were so lucky to have people like Dad and so many others who gave their time to make it what it is today.”
Happy 50th anniversary to the Diamond Valley Basketball Association.
