Good evening ladies and gentlemen ... it's a great pleasure to be here to announce the winner of the 2017 Wellington Community Trust Lifetime Contribution to Sport Award.

This year’s recipient first played basketball in his final year at Wellington College in 1973.

In the 44 years since, he has made an almost immeasurable contribution to basketball in our region.

He played in the former Central League and Wellington Basketball League .. and was first elected on to the Wellington Basketball Association Executive Committee in 1994 … by 1995 he was President, a position he held for ten year, supporting them financially when they were facing insolvency. 

He continued to support the Wellington Basketball Association over many years … sponsoring court hire, apparel purchase, tournament operation and countless other things.

In 1998, fire destroyed Wellington Basketball’s headquarters at Newtown Stadium.

So began a campaign to establish a large indoor sports facility here in the capital.

The result is the magnificent ASB Sports Centre.

Tonight’s recipient attended every Wellington City Council planning meeting, Council committee meeting, community consultation meeting and council election meeting in Wellington South.

He met with the Mayor, City Councillors, Council officers, Sport Wellington and representatives of other sports. 

He negotiated on key elements of the process to ensure the stadium was included in the Council’s long-term plan. 

He went to Melbourne to analyse the Albert Park Stadium complex.

He found out who the proposed architects of the new Wellington centre were, obtained from FIBA the vast amount of information they had on stadium construction fit-out, and went to see the architects – with post-it stickers on the relevant pages.

The result is a high quality floor and equipment fit-out; wide margins between the courts; and a stadium constructed on the priority principles of natural light and air movement.  

His conviction to the plan also ensured the number of courts, planned at eight, was increased to twelve.  

Construction began in 2010 and the ASB Sports Centre opened in 2011.  

All this time, he continued to serve on the Wellington Basketball Association’s Executive Committee from 2005 -2012. 

In 2002 he joined the Board of Basketball New Zealand and was Vice President from 2003 - 2006. 

He drafted a new constitution for the organisation and campaigned successfully for the return of the NBL as part of BBNZ. 

He was also the Basketball New Zealand representative on the International Basketball Federation’s Oceania Board. 

For thirty years, he has been a monumental supporter of the Wellington Saints.

He’s been Chairman, Treasurer, is still an active Board Member and never misses a home game.

He was also a member of the NBL Board as a Player Representative for five years. 

He was instrumental in the formation of the Capital Zone Basketball Trust, basketball’s new Regional Sports Organisation for the Greater Wellington Region … and has again been generous with his time, legal advice and financial support. 

As a member of this Trust, his focus is on young people in our region ... he wants to ensure all children have the opportunity to play basketball regardless of where they live … or how much money they have.

He has made significant financial donations assisting many young players who made New Zealand representative teams, paying for their travel to ensure they didn’t miss out on any opportunities due to their financial background. 

He’s also paid international airfares for players who received scholarships … and made substantial donations to various basketball organisations in the region to ensure their sustainability. 

These generous acts are not in past tense … he continues to give annual contributions to schools in low decile areas, allowing children to have shoes and transportation to games and practices. 

His generosity isn’t just financial … he has helped local, regional and national organisations in legal and constitutional matters, with historical facts and simply as an expert on basketball issues. 

He actively seeks out good subjects to support and when he does …which is the norm … he supports them unreservedly.

Saints owner Nick Mills says he is the most intelligent man he has ever met … and Nick Mills has met a lot of people. 

The man we’re honouring is a workaholic … and famously came to work every Sunday in bare feet.

He is a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to basketball, was awarded the Sir Lance Cross Memorial Award by Basketball NZ and is a life member of Basketball New Zealand and the Wellington Basketball Association. 

In mid-2014, he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.

Upon further investigation, it became apparent he’d had MND for 18 months.

At that time, a specialist estimated his life expectancy at 2 and half years.

That was 3 and half years ago.

It seems he wasn’t particularly interested in that prognosis.

Last August, he was told he probably wouldn’t see the end of the year.

But here we are in mid-June 2017 … and this is not a eulogy.

It’s a tribute to someone who is very much still alive and kicking.

A man who – for the last four decades – has given … and continues to give … absolutely phenomenal support to basketball in our region. 

His dedication and patronage is utterly selfless and beyond exceptional. 

Ladies and Gentlemen … the recipient of the 2017 Wellington Community Trust … Lifetime Contribution to Sport Award … is Justin Toebes.