Queensland’s rabbit ban almost cost Sunshine Coast Lightning signing Caitlin Bassett
COLOURFUL Australian netball captain Caitlin Bassett has revealed she fleetingly contemplated getting a magicians licence to combat Queensland’s strict rabbit laws.
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WHEN Caitlin Bassett headed across Australia to join the Sunshine Coast Lightning netball team she secretly craved to pull a rabbit from a hat.
And she wasn’t talking figuratively either – her cunning plan featured a real rabbit and the hat which surely would have had to be part of her act.
The colourful Australian netball captain reveals she fleetingly contemplated getting a magicians licence to get her cherished pet rabbits from Perth – where they can be kept as pets – into Queensland where they are banned unless you can prove you are a magician and they are part of your act.
The plan was aborted but the attachment lingers.
“I miss them and I still visit them when I go back – I gave them to a netball nerd family in Perth,’’ said Bassett, who is studying broadcast journalism and often starts her match-day Saturday’s by hosting a breakfast show on radio Hot 91.1.
“After I talked to the Sunshine Coast I thought I would never come here because I could not take the rabbits with me. It was a serious concern for me. That’s for sure.
“Then I thought ‘do I want to win a premiership?’
“Actually that is probably more important to me in life. But it was a tough decision.’’
Bassett was Perth-based for her entire career before joining the Lightning before their premiership winning debut season last year.
The Lightning have followed up with another strong winter which will see them face the Queensland Firebirds in Sundays Super Netball knockout semi-final, sweet vindication for her decision to leave her home – and rabbits – behind.
“I genuinely did look up how to be a magician. What a great story it would have been and I thought it would be a great way to bring the bunnies with me.
“I would do anything for them. They lived in my house and had the run of the house. They would eat chords behind my television and I would take them out for coffee with me.
“But to bring them here there was a lot of rules. You have to provide documentation as how you would keep them. You had to give them your address so they could check you are doing everything right.
“There was a lot of paperwork and I did not know whether they would have survived the flight.’’
Bassett has been one of the star performers for the Lightning and is pleased she made the move.
“I could have comfortably finished my career in Perth but I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone,’’ she said. “I thought I could grow as a player and a person.’’
“I remember when I got here I went to the beach and I thought it was the best thing ever but when I walked into the club it brought me down to earth. It was a blank canvas which was great. A white walled office had been given to us but there was no furniture, fridge. No nothing.
“It was very exciting. We had the chance to all have a say in what we wanted the club to be. Now we have photos of our grand finals on the wall, and an office full of staff.’’
Yet, sadly, no rabbits.
Originally published as Queensland’s rabbit ban almost cost Sunshine Coast Lightning signing Caitlin Bassett