Volleyball tribute

After successfully staging ‘Harry’s Match’, a charity game in recognition of Beyond Blue, last year, Volleyball Horsham is gearing up for an even bigger ‘Harry’s Match 2’ this year.

Last year’s match involved 23 of the late Harry Denson’s peers suiting up during a Horsham Tournament last year in memory of a mate who was affected by mental-health issues.

The players competed in front of a large crowd, exceeding organisers’ expectations.

We were blown away by the support last year both from a crowd as well as a players’ perspective.

We had some of Harry’s peers participate who hadn’t played for ages, but they all wanted to do it for Harry.

The match fulfilled an unfinished piece of the puzzle in trying to work out the best way to honor the talented athlete.

The family was grappling with how best to honor Harry’s memory, but at the conclusion of the match they were more than happy with what the association did for their loved one.

So, it was agreed to continue to support the family and the raising of awareness of mentalhealth issues in young males, which is a growing trend and one that affects more people as the days go by.

Unfortunately, Volleyball Horsham members have been affected by recent deaths of young males, hence the reason why Harry’s Match 2 will be bigger this year.

Apart from honoring the memory of Harry, the match will also honor the memory of Ben Jolley, the son of Steven and Katrina Jolley and Abe Kingston the son of George and Jo Kingston, two youngsters who have connections to Volleyball Horsham.

Steve and Katrina have thrown their support behind Harry’s Match 2 because they missed out last year, while George and Jo, through their daughter Elsi, are both on board with the idea.

Harry’s Match 2 will be on the Friday night before the Horsham Tournament and will start with a girls curtain-raiser match between Kara Johnson’s peer group and a Murtoa girls’ team.

A short service honoring the three boys will follow and the event will conclude with the men’s match.

The overarching theme with Harry’s Match 2 will be that mates should look out for their mates, and that it is important that males should not be too afraid to open up and talk to their mates about their mental health.

The whole tournament weekend will be promoting that message and supporting Beyond Blue.

If Volleyball Horsham through this initiative can make one person more aware of the need to be open about their mental health, then Volleyball Horsham has succeeded in its goal.

Volleyball Horsham is proud to provide an opportunity for families and friends of the three boys to honor their loved ones, with volleyball being the vehicle for this opportunity.

Harry’s Match 2 will be November 22 from 8pm with the tournament that weekend.

We encourage people to participate in the evening to help raise the awareness.