Toowoomba legend Brian Raftery earns his place in Basketball Queensland Hall of Fame

One of Toowoomba Basketball’s most prominent figures will be recognised with Basketball Queensland’s biggest honours.

Barry Raftery. Photo: Bev Lacey

BASKETBALL: Toowoomba Basketball has been given another reason to look proudly upon one of its great all-round men.

Barry Raftery has been included in Basketball Queensland’s 2021 Hall of Fame class, joining some of the most prestigious names in the state.

The honour is the latest accolade in the career of Raftery, having been previously inducted into the Mountaineers Hall of Fame, and is a life member of the Toowoomba Basketball Association.

Raftery’s involvement in the sport spans 60 years, dating back to when he was 14 years old.

This led to a pioneering role in the Pigott’s Basketball Club, with staff from the department store coming together to play.

It proved a successful venture that dominated the scene throughout the 1960s and 70s with multiple premierships.

Raftery’s biggest legacy on the sport in Toowoomba came in 1971, playing his role in the coming together of the then-separate men’s and women’s basketball associations, and becoming the first president of the TBA.

Mountaineers operations director John Gouldson said the honour for his former colleague and longtime friend was well deserved.

“He served the basketball community well over the years,” Gouldson said.

“I met Barry in the 1970s when he was the president of the Toowoomba Basketball Association,” Gouldson said.

“He was one of the chief instigators of combining the men’s and women’s associations in 1971.

“He talked me into running for vice president and then I became president by default after he had to move.”

Raftery’s legacy with the Mountaineers has helped the team maintain a presence in Queensland basketball for over half a century.

The foundation coach with the Mountaineers for 15 years, his service to basketball during that time helped to put the team on the map in a crowded sporting landscape.

“There is no doubt that he was ahead of his time in the way that he established the Mountaineers as a city team,” Gouldson said.

“It’s something that I’ve respected over the years and part of the reason for my commitment to that team is because of Barry’s initiative in the first instance.

“There’s not too many people that make the Basketball Queensland Hall of Fame. He coached the state side for two years, and one of the most important things that stands out is how he set the Mountaineers up in the Eastern Conference in the late 60s.”