At the Baseball Victoria Annual Awards Night held in March 2019 Ian Bishop was announced as one of two 2019 Baseball Victoria Life Membership Inductees.
Ian was unable to travel to Melbourne in March, so it was decided to present Ian with his Life Membership Medal at the Annual Sunraysia Baseball League Annual Presentation Night.
On the eve of the Sunraysia Baseball League A,B and C Grade Grand Finals the Annual Sunraysia Baseball League Annual Presentation Night was held Friday night in Mildura.
Baseball Victoria President Myles Foreman attended and presented Ian Bishop with his Baseball Victorian Life Membership.
“Life Membership is the highest honour Baseball Victoria can confer on an individual. The individual must have rendered distinguished service to baseball in Victoria over an extended period of time and such service must have assisted the advancement of baseball in Victoria,” said Myles Foreman, President of Baseball Victoria. “While Club Service is taken into consideration individuals are awarded Life Membership where they have also contributed at a State and National level. Congratulations Ian Bishop, who is now a Life Member of Baseball Victoria, joining many greats of Victorian Baseball.”
A standout individual who has dedicated more than 50 years to the Sunraysia Baseball League, Ian’s baseball career has included playing, coaching, umpiring and committee work. He first joined the sport as an athlete in the 1950s, and he soon took up coaching in addition to playing on representative sides. He served as SBL’s Secretary/Treasurer in 1966 and Treasurer in 1972, and he had a crucial leadership role in the reformation of the SBL in 1979.
Although he retired from playing in 1984, his contributions to the sport were far from over. He was League Treasurer from 1980-1982 before beginning his 30+ years of umpiring. He was a proud advocate and promoter of the sport, serving as media liaison for several years as well as sharing baseball radio reports on Sunday mornings from 1982-2005. He was the SBL Committee Level Umpire Coordinator from 1990-2004, and he returned to his beloved role as Secretary/Treasurer from 2007/2017.
Ian was granted life membership to SBL in 1993 for his commitment and support of the sport and its growth in Sunraysia. Ian’s notable advocacy, leadership, reformation, administration and community involvement gave him an impressive 48/55 in life membership criteria. A special presentation for Ian will be held at the 2019 end of season Sunraysia Baseball League Awards Night.
"I'm quite honoured and proud to receive Life Membership. It's something I never expected," Ian said. "I started baseball in 1955 and just carried on with it, because it's something I loved doing. It is an absolute honour and a pleasure."