tributes

The last of the five decades Great Boulder have been in existence is tinged with sadness at the death of the irrepressible Denis O’Shaughnessy.
Denis - or the Tree, as he was affectionately known by teammates, family and friends - died in a road smash just north of Kalgoorlie on August 15, 2000.
His untimely death severed a link with the Two Blues which started in junior ranks as a gangling youngster and blossomed into a career which ranks among the finest achieved during the half-century the club has been in existence.
Statistically, Denis boasts a tremendous record as an opening bowler in claiming 363 A Grade wickets at the miserly average of 17.7 runs per wicket, also scoring over 500 runs and taking 38 catches.
He played in six grand finals which produced as many premierships and 19 wickets at 16.37, including a career-best haul of 6-34.
After his retirement with 181 senior games to his credit, Denis also had the distinction of coaching the Two Blues to their last A Grade premiership in 1993-94 - the only flag (one of only two flags) we have won since the club’s 40th. anniversary.
However, Denis was more than a valuable Great Boulder player - he epitomised all that was great about the club as it successfully battled to establish itself as a feared cricket team which emerged as the competition trend-setter on and off the field in the late 1960s and most of the 70s.
Denis was part of an era cherished by all those who were involved and his contribution as a highly respected player and dedicated member of the club over many years was suitably recognised with a life membership.
When not playing cricket for his beloved Gee Bees, the Tree lived life to the full and acquired legendary status as a fun-loving sportsman who impacted greatly on the many people who had the good fortune to become his friend, foe or teammate.
Denis was truly a unique character whose legacy will long be remembered among the ranks of the Two Blues.
vale Denis

The Two Blues lost another stalwart with the death of fellow life member Lou Nazzari.
Losing Lou was “recruited” from arch rivals Hannans and over a number of years proceeded to make his mark with Great Boulder in a variety of positions, including that of vice-president. Lou made an extremely valuable contribution to the Two Blues, particularly in the area of junior cricket, and is sorely missed. Fittingly the Club introduced a Rookie Of The Year Award in 1999 that honours Lou.

The Great Boulder cricket club acknowledges it’s first ever Life Member’s passing in 2009.

The EGCA faced a problem in 1952 when Kalgoorlie-Centrals advised that it would not be nominating a team for the 1953-54 season leaving the prospect of a 3 team competition – Hannans, North Kalgoorlie and Lake View. The Managing Director of Great Boulder Gold Mines, Edgar Elvey had often envied the publicity the Lake View mine had derived from being involved with the Goldfields main cricket competition and he seized the opportunity. In the companies employ was one of the Goldfields best-known sportsmen, football star Vin Zani, not long returned from a stint with Swan Districts club in Perth. Zani was also in charge of the companies social activities and had made the company’s annual family Christmas function the biggest event in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Elvey asked Zani, aged 24, to help in taking the Great Boulder Cricket Club from a Saturday competition to Sunday. Others asked to help were well-known cricket players who worked for the company like Colin Dunlop, Clyde Bird and Alec Gibson. They in turn picked up young Saturday cricket players Les Cook, Clarrie McCreed and John Dowson while a team of juniors included the sons of Great Boulder workers like Wally Martin, Jim Mitchell and Fred Senior, a trio later to gain fame in Perth football. After Great Boulder was former, Zani went back to football, but maintained his membership and interest in the club by arranging their annual trophies, returning after a few years as club secretary. The club struggled in the 1950s, earning only one grand final appearance when soundly beaten by Hannans and by the 1960s was nearing rock bottom. That was when Zani used cricket as a training ground for some members of his Railway Football Club team, especially in the B grade. Among them was John Wiley, father of champion Perth footballer Rob Wiley, who also opened the bowling in “A” grade on one occasion. Others included newspaper icon Don Smith, later editor of the “West Australian” and “Sunday Times”, Harry Buckman who worked for SP bookie Ray Oates and policeman John Butt. That improved nothing. In fact, one year Zani – after collecting an attractive range of trophies – declared that club results for the year were so bad nobody deserved a trophy that year and he raffled the lot. Among the recipients to miss out on his trophy that year was a new player and the club’s “Most Improved Junior” – Micheal O’Shaughnessy. The chief result of the football experiment was chipped or broken bats ruined by free-hitting footballers who had little idea of how to bat. One of the best all-rounders on the Goldfields, was always well-dressed and quietly spoken Alec Gibson, came to the rescue by donating five new cricket bats annually to make up for his reluctance to sell raffle tickets.The influx of the footballers kept the club afloat until a “new order “of players took over in 1962 to begin the task of reconstructing the club. Zani continued to play a role in the club after he left the Great Boulder Company and joined BHP. His home on the outskirts of Kalgoorlie, near what is now the Hainhault Tourist Mine became a Mecca for Great Boulder social activities throughout the 1960s, and he was a prime driver in securing the services of players like Ray Stockmin and Trevor Bidstrup. Zani’s role in the foundation of the Great Boulder Cricket Club and his support over a period of years from the 1950s was recognised when he was awarded the clubs first life membership badge.