Taking up the torch

She was a young girl in 1995 when Cobram FNC claimed nine from nine premierships, in a year etched into the annals of the club’s long history.

For Sasha and the rest of her family, the year holds importance for many reasons.

But chief among those is the fact that the 1995 premiership final was the last game of football that Sasha’s father, the late Les ‘Salty’ Parish, played before he passed away.

“Being four at the time, and now 34, [the club is] probably the place I feel closest to, when it comes to my father,” Sasha said.

“So it’s really nostalgic.”

As such, the club’s recent 30-year anniversary of its premiership sweep in 1995 held special significance for Sasha and the rest of her family.

“I was only four. I don’t remember much, but I do remember a feeling,” Sasha said.

“It’s something that is really hard to explain.”

She admitted it’s perhaps why she has found herself in the leadership role she’s in this year.

“I want everyone to experience that feeling: of a community, family-oriented; a place where everyone feels safe and has fun and is welcome,” Sasha said.

Sitting beside her mum, Jenny, Sasha explained she still sought advice from her.

“She definitely cops a lot of phone calls,” Sasha said.

“I want to create what they created. So there’s no-one better to speak to than Mum, really, who was in that role.

“Obviously, I’m not the netball president, but vice-president of the overall club.

“Matt (DeMaio, CFNC president) and I are a good team and we both have very experienced parents in the way of leadership and club leadership.

“So we sort of bounce it off them, which is good.”