Dodgers 1945

Dodgers Softball Club was foundered in 1945.  Originally known as Moera Colts, the club was formed by Dick Austin and Jock Wilson, with the help of Jim Vogel, who was then Commissioner for the NZ Boy Scouts.

Jim Vogel paid for all the playing equipment for the club, this included all gloves, bats , balls etc for all of the players.

At the tender age of fourteen and fifteen, Dick and Jock decided to name their new club Moera Colts. They won the Hutt Valley Championship, playing Taita Demons in the final.

Some years later, in the early 1950s the club was renamed Moera Dodgers, as all of their players lived in Moera at the time.

A few years later Moera was dropped off and the club became known as Dodgers.

With the permission of LA Dodgers, the uniform was copied from them.  Our uniform was all black with Dodgers in white across the front. This remains the same today.

Dick Austin captained and coached the club from the catching position for a great number of years.  Dick was honoured with being the first life member of the Club in the mid 1960s. In his later years he was the Patron of the Club until he passed away in 2011.

In its early years, the Club had five senior teams; Senior A Men, Senior 2nd Men, Preidents Men, Two ladies teams known as A and B.  We also fielded four schoolboy teams.

Information and photos supplied by Dick Austin