In honour of their significant contribution to the club both on an off the field, each of our Best & Fairest Shields are named after a La Trobe University Hockey Club member. A full list of these Best & Fairest winners can be viewed on the Club Honour Boards.
Men’s 1s Best & Fairest
David Pullar Shield
David Pullar played for the club in its earliest days, pictured here in the middle at the 1969 Annual Dinner at Whittlesea Pub. David’s parents purchased the shield, dubiously earning him the title, and it stuck ever since.
The original shield famously went missing in the 80s, only to be discovered years later being used as a cheese board. The Club now holds onto all perpetual shields in the clubrooms.
Women’s 1s Best & Fairest
Kizanne Davies Shield
Kizanne Davies was the first person to be awarded the Women’s 1s Best & Fairest Shield in 1993, and went on to hold that title for a never-to-be-repeated four seasons in a row.
Men’s 2s Best & Fairest
Bruce Mackie Shield
Bruce Mackie was the first ever recipient of the Men’s 2s Best & Fairest Shield, which was won in 1984. He went on to play at the club for another three decades.
Women’s 2s Best & Fairest
Belinda Blackburn Shield
Belinda (or Gus) Blackburn joined the club in 1992. In her time at the club she served 13 years in an Executive Committee position across President, Secretary and Treasurer, longer than anyone else in the club’s history. The shield was named after Gus in 2012 in honour of her significant contribution to the club.
Men’s 3s Best & Fairest
Michael C Ludowyk Shield
Women’s 3s Best & Fairest
Taya Stuart Shield
Taya played many years in the Ladies of La Trobe, was a leading goal scorer and helped win many premierships. She would later coach the Women’s 1s, including to a premiership. Taya is a role model, in her dedication to ensuring women, girls and queer people are welcome to our club, and her commitment to driving change through initiatives such as NAIDOC week.
Men’s VicLeague Most Improved
Doug Henderson Shield
Women’s VicLeague Rising Star
Kevin Bannan Shield
Each year the club plays a pre season tournament against Yarra Valley Hockey Club in the memory of Kevin – who played a key role in coaching all aspects of the club over nearly a 30 year period.
Women’s Goal Scoring Shield
Sarah Dowling Goal Scoring Shield
Sarah is a Life Member at the club, has the record of being our longest serving Secretary (seven years), and has spent many more years volunteering on the Committee. She was integral in the launch of our Junior program which now runs from Under 8s to Under 18s, and was our Clubperson of the Year in 2021. She is notoriously deadly on the field up forward, and was a key team player in the many premierships of the Ladies of La Trobe.
View more of the La Trobe University Hockey Club’s History, including the Jack Smart F Troop Trophy and the George Grouios Goal Scoring Shield.