Belconnen Ramblers Basketball Club – Foundation Member since 1971
Belconnen Ramblers Basketball Club Inc is a major force in junior and senior basketball in the Canberra community. The club traces its roots to Griffith, NSW, and has been part of the ACT basketball landscape for more than 50 years — earning the 2024 Chief Minister’s Canberra Gold Award for its contribution to the community.
Club Timeline
Early 1970s
Joe and Barb Lodding relocate from Griffith, NSW to Canberra. Joe forms a men’s basketball team in the South Canberra Amateur Basketball Association (SCABA) under the Ramblers name, inspired by the Griffith club Resches Ramblers. Games are played at the Wesley Centre in Forrest.
c. 1974
Within two years of founding, Ramblers fields both men’s and women’s teams in the SCABA competition.
Late 1970s
SCABA and the North Canberra Amateur Basketball Association (NCABA) amalgamate to form the ACT Amateur Basketball Association (ACTABA). Competition moves to NATEX (now Exhibition Park, near Mitchell). The first junior players come to the club from Telopea Park High School.
Early 1980s
ACTABA introduces a “Principal Clubs” model requiring clubs to run junior programs. Ramblers moves to the outer Belconnen suburb of Charnwood and adopts the name Belconnen Ramblers. The club grows steadily through the decade. Two other clubs — Shadows and Eveready — amalgamate with Ramblers, shaping the club’s colours.
1980s
A golden era for the club, producing players and coaches who go on to NBL, national and international careers — including Guy Molloy, Rob Beveridge, John Stelzer, Tony Wall, Michelle Hocking, Tina Stelzer, Dave Nelson and Mark Warmington (who also designs the club’s iconic logo).
1990s
The global basketball boom — fuelled by Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal — drives strong growth in junior participation. Ramblers benefits alongside the rise of the Canberra Cannons (NBL) and Canberra Capitals (WNBL), and the influence of the Australian Institute of Sport.
2003
The club fields five Junior State League teams and 13 junior social competition teams. 14 players are selected in the ACT squad. Senior programs run 14 teams, with five men in the Canberra Gunners and a woman named in the Australian Opals squad.
2022
Ramblers wins Runners Up, Good Sports ACT Club of the Year, recognised for “outstanding dedication to inspiring positive change and building a healthier, more family-friendly club environment.”
2024
The club is awarded the Chief Minister’s Canberra Gold Award, recognising more than 50 years of service, participation and contribution to the Canberra community.
2026
Ramblers make a historic return to the Women’s Senior Premier League – Division 1, defeating Ginninderra Rats 49–45 in Round 1. Vale Joe Lodding, the man who founded the club, passes away at age 80.