1987
The Club was setting its foundation within the community as a sporting and Social Organization. Various social activities were organised at the same time the Volleyball championships were held.
1987 saw the club working toward achieving its goal to increase tourism between Australia and Lebanon through sport.
1991 - 1992
The goal set in 1987 was achieved and the club sent a Volleyball team to Lebanon and other Middle Eastern Countries to compete with various national and top teams. At the same time the club took with them approximately two hundred supporters, who were there to see their homeland and to support the Sydney Cedars Club.
The event saw the support of the Minister for Sports in Australia and the community in general. The event has since become an annual event; the Cedars had made their mark.
Back in Australia the club organized a number of sporting and social events which included:
- Backgammon Championship
- Table Tennis Championship
- Squash Championship
- A social trip to the Snowy Mountains
- Volleyball tournaments in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
- The Club published it's first magazine.
1993
The club played host to the Lebanese folkloric dancing group ambassadors of the tourism bureau of Lebanon, headed by Mr. Nasr Makhoul, and to a group of travel agents from Lebanon.
The group was entertained for a week, with various events held for them including a dinner party held in their honour, an official trip to Parliament house and trips to Queensland and Melbourne to name a few.
The second annual event to compete in a series of Volleyball tournaments in Lebanon happened in 1993, with the Cedars taking a number of experienced players. The trip included competing in and visiting many parts of Lebanon, which fascinated the whole group. The trip included approximately five hundred supporters to support the team and visit their homeland. The Sydney Cedars Club Volleyball Team was growing in popularity both locally and abroad and the presence of an extra three hundred supporters was testimony to that.
In Australia the club entered many Volleyball competitions and hosted teams from Melbourne and Sydney. Their relative successes were proving that the Sydney Cedars Club was producing a quality volleyball team and one that would be worth watching.
1993 also saw the clubs second annual magazine published.
1994
Once again the Sydney Cedars Club played the host, this time to a Volleyball team from Lebanon. The team was here not only to compete in various Volleyball tournaments, but to also attend various functions organised to introduce them to multicultural Australia. The visit established a that has proven to be very successful.
With a relationship between Lebanon and The Sydney Cedars club clearly formed the club committee actively prepared to send its Volleyball team on a historic tour of the Middle East where they would compete in four countries at the highest level of Volleyball. The itinerary would be Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Whilst in Lebanon the group was hosted by club Ghazzir, in appreciation of their hospitality the Sydney Cedars Club invited them to visit Australia in December.
During the annual tour of Lebanon the club had three hundred supporters accompany them, who not only showed support in Lebanon but the entire tour of the four Middle Eastern countries.
1994 saw the formation of a Basketball team and preparations to have them tour Lebanon in 1995.
Roula Harris, a rising swimmer, was taken under the wing of the Sydney Cedars Club to compete in the Lebanese National Swimming titles and the Pan Arab Games for 1995.
The Cedars club played host to various sporting activities throughout the year including:
- Basketball
- Table Tennis
- Volleyball
- The Annual Dinner Party
The third annual issue of the club magazine went to print, once again in Lebanon.
1995
1995 saw the Sydney Cedars Volleyball and Basketball teams tour Lebanon and Jordan for what has become an annual tour. During the tour the Sydney Cedars Club delegates and sports representatives took part in the opening of the new Australian Embassy in Beirut. Their presence highlighted what was an event between both Australia and Lebanon and was testimony to the culture and background that exists between the two nations.
1996
Once again the Volleyball and basketball teams toured Lebanon and Egypt.
The Sydney Cedars Club hosted the Ghazzir Club from Lebanon in Australia.
Sydney Cedars also played against The Media Association of Lebanon who represents the television, newspaper, radio and magazine sector in Lebanon. The tour was throughout Sydney and The Australian Capital Territory.
1997
The 1997 Sydney Cedars Team is the strongest yet and with its line-up of 8 ex national players represents the strongest club combination in Australia. Sponsored by Middle East Airlines and El-gas Australia the team recently defeated the current Australian team 3-0 in a "friendly" played in Sydney. Straight after the team departed on the annual tour to Lebanon to compete against the Lebanese National Team and top club teams...and was very successful in all 8 games.
The Sydney Cedars organized Australian Lebanese Media to tour Lebanon (hosted by the Lebanese Media Association), during the visit the group visited the President of Lebanon, The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Speaker of the House and all Religious Leaders within Lebanon.
Abuse of drugs and alcohol has always been a primary concern for the Sydney Cedars and in 1997 the club invited the Lebanese Drug & Alcohol Enforcement Committee to Australia to conduct seminars on drug and alcohol awareness and the impact they have within our society.
The Sydney Cedars invited the National Lebanese Basketball Team to Australia, and organized games against Bankstown Bruins, Australian University Team and Sydney Cedars and held a function in their honour.
In Australia the Sydney Cedars volleyball team won all the State and National tournaments; NSW State League Cup, NSW Metro League, Super League and the Australian Club Championships, which are held in the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) and in which over 200 teams from all over Australia participated. This culminated in 1997 being the most successful year to date (at home and overseas) for the Cedars.
1998
With the success of the Lebanese Drug and Alcohol Enforcement Committee in 1997 the Sydney Cedars Club invited them back to Australia in 1998 to run more community workshops in Australia.
A drug and alcohol awareness night was organized for the Youth in the Bankstown area. The night not only saw the involvement of professionals and experts in the field but the Police and Youth working together.
In Australia the team not only had successes amongst the Australian teams but also invited the Swiss National Team and Tonga National team to compete against the Sydney Cedars. All games resulted in wins to the Cedars.
The Sydney Cedars team also retained the Australian Club Champion title for the second year.
This year annual tour to Lebanon and Bahrain, to compete against their National and top teams, also with great success.
The Sydney Cedars Club invited the Lebanese Media and leading Professional business people from Lebanon to view the Australian Businesses and Media practice.
1999
Another success year, in which the volleyball team won all tournaments entered, including the Australian Volleyball League and, for the third successive year, the Australian Club Championships.
The annual tour to Lebanon in July was tougher this year for the volley ball team, playing the National Lebanese team 5 times and other top teams with no break.
The Sydney Cedars invited the Lebanese Army National Volleyball Team to Australia for a series of matches in Sydney and Melbourne. They played against the Australian Army National Team and the Lebanese Community Team. One of the highlights of the trip was the ceremony of placing flowers on the Unknown Soldier in present and involvement of the Bankstown RSL Club and Sydney Cedars committees.
The event was a great success. It highlighted that the love of sport between our two nations.
2000
The year two thousand was always going to be a year to remember. Not only was our team on their way to Lebanon and Egypt for yet another tour but also the Olympics were on Sydney's doorstep. Australia has a love of sport unlike no other.
The Sydney Cedars also took a particular interest in the 2000 Olympics, which as we saw, was one of the best Olympics ever.
Our own Vice President Mr. John Thom was one of the many Olympic Volunteers and our entire club carried the pride of a nation with him.
The Sydney Cedars volleyball team freshly back from the annual tour from Egypt and Lebanon were they played against Egyptian National Team twice (winning one game). The Egyptian Volleyball Team is the African Champion and in the same pool as Australia in the Sydney Olympic 2000. Also on tour the Cedars played 5 games against the Lebanese National Team (wining all 5) and other top teams in Lebanon.
On their return the team had to play their Sydney League Final in the same week and won for the 4th year in a row.
Still the team is looking forward to the next tournament that is Super League and to defend the Australian Club Champions title for the 4th year in Canberra.
The Sydney Cedars Club, however, is not solely focused on the highly successful Volleyball team, with much involvement in many other social and sporting events. It also enjoys strong corporate support by Arab Bank Australia, Bankstown District Sports Club, El-Gas, and Koala Clothing.
The Sydney Cedars roster is now the strongest of any Men's club in Australia and holds many titles, including National Club Champions, Australian National League Champion and Sydney Metropolitan League Champions, and can list victories over the Australian National team, the Lebanese National Team, the Switzerland National Team, the Tonga National team and Egyptian junior National Team as testimony to it's strength.
It’s an advantage to both Volleyball NSW and the Sydney Cedars Club to be based at the Bankstown Stadium .the implementation of a junior program would then become a reality and increase the profile of Volleyball in the Bankstown area.
Such programming could include Coaching Clinics with our National players and coaches in attendance, and to involve much wider youth and juniors players from the Bankstown community area.
During 2001 Sydney Cedars Club has begun a Junior Development Program in Bankstown District Area. Currently we have fielding 4 junior teams from Bankstown District Area competing in competition conducted and coach by Sydney Cedars Club (Competition name Sydney Cedars Volleyball Association).
The Sydney Cedars invited the Lebanese Veterans National Volleyball Team to Australia for 2 weeks for some series matches in Sydney and Melbourne.
The Sydney Cedars have dominated the domestic competition for the past 9 years and have repeated that dominance during 2004.
The Sydney Cedars have and still dominated the domestic competition for the past 10 years and have repeated that dominance during 2004.
Training and competing regularly, the Bankstown Sports Cedars Volleyball Club attracts the highest caliber of athletes; the most experienced and dedicated players from around the country. The Cedars also attracts the best of the younger and up-and-coming players in Australian Volleyball and provides a proving ground for future National players.
