1980-1990

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1980-1990

In 1982 Br T O Pickett and Mr Vin Kearney announced their retirement from the administrative duties of the sports competitions of the ACC. Due to the expanded membership and number of competitions, it was clear that a full-time employee of the ACC was required as a replacement. The person was to be known as the Administrative Officer of the ACC and a brief given to that person for the duties required. The Officer appointed to commence duties in 1983 was Mr Gary McGrath. He proved to be very successful in that year. Constitutional changes were also made in 1982 to establish the Council of the ACC (the Principal of member Colleges); the Sports Management Committee (the sportspersons of member schools) and an Executive Committee which was to consist of the President Principal (by rotation), the immediate past and immediate future Presidents and one other elected Principal.

 In 1983 a new Constitution was drawn up and the ACC applied for incorporation under the Incorporated Bodies Act. The office of the Administrative Officer was established at the office of the Catholic Education Commission and further invitations to join the ACC were extended to new Catholic Colleges and to country Catholic Colleges.  Through the initiative of the President, Sr Denise Desmarchelier, social activities (barbecue) and cultural activities (art displays) were arranged to partly meet the broader aims of the Association. An ACC logo was accepted after an art competition among the schools, organised by Mr Gary McGrath. The logo has remained as the official emblem of the Association.

 Mr Gary McGrath worked as the ACC Sports Administrator until 1984. Between 1984 and 1987 Mr. Tony Hillas was the Sports Administrator and the Association continued to grow with Athletics and Swimming carnivals moving to a C Division in 1985. The Association celebrated its Golden Anniversary of Foundation in 1987. Around this time a number of new Anglican and Uniting Church schools opened in Perth. As there was no other independent secondary schools sports association available to these schools, the ACC Council agreed to open ACC membership to non-catholic independent schools. Schools such as All Saints’ College, St Mark’s Anglican Community School and St Stephen’s School paved the way for this new expansion of the ACC. This was one of the most significant changes in the history of the Association and has had a long lasting impact on the size and membership of the ACC. From a “catholic only” association in the early 1980’s, at least a third of the ACC membership is now non-catholic independent schools.

 Ms Margaret Prout took over from Mr Tony Hillas as the Sports Administrator for 1988 and during the same year Mr Rob Langer took over the position. Mr Langer directed the ACC until 1999 and oversaw another period of expansion with carnival divisions in swimming and athletics growing to E Division. In 1993 the Association recognized the growing size and complexity of the ACC sport programme and re-classified Mr Langer’s position to Director of Sport.

 In 1989 the Association conducted the first ACC Representative Team tour. The representative tours concept is credited to Mr Dennis Rees who was the Sportsmaster at Lumen Christi College and previously St Norbert College. The first tour was a boys hockey team which visited Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Brunei. The team was managed by Mr Rees and coached by Mr Kyle March of Aranmore Catholic College. The tour was a great success and the concept has been expanded over the years to other sports and locations such as New Zealand, Fiji, Bali, Queensland, Malaysia, Hawaii and Singapore.