Anyone who has been involved in cricket or baseball in Lismore during the past century, will likely know a descendent of the Gahan family. Several generations of the exceptionally talented Gahan family, have etched their name into baseball and cricket folklore. Peter Gahan was a very handy cricketer, having represented Country NSW, which was a good achievement at a time when local cricket was arguably at its best level, but he is best known for his pedigree as a baseballer.

I have known Peter and his family since the late sixties, so it was a real pleasure to sit down with him recently to pen a few words about Peter Gahan the baseballer, the sportsman, the artist, family man and local legend.

I was born in Lismore in 1956, the second son of Michael and Dora Gahan (nee Daly). My older brother Michael and younger siblings Danny, Maryanne and Terry, grew up in the family home in Diadem Street, Lismore.

Family life was dominated by sport, with dad an avid cricketer, remembered by numerous local cricketers as being their coach at some point. We also played tennis, squash, baseball and table tennis (on a table he made). He spent many hours teaching young cricketers the basics of the game: watching the ball and choosing the appropriate shot.

My three brothers and I didn’t need any coaxing to bat or bowl and there were countless games in the backyard or using the concrete driveway out front, to test each other at every opportunity, with ‘stumps’ only called (and always reluctantly), when mum would call us to the dinner table. Our sister Maryanne played netball, and despite being the only girl in the family, she was absolutely part of the Gahan clan, even though the household had the influence of ‘four boys’.

Dad worked for the Public Works as a Clerk of Works and was the primary income earner for our family, while Mum did what mums do and ran the household, without fuss and always with a calm (but firm hand). Once we were older, Mum returned to work on the exchange with Telecom (now called Telstra), but through the growing years, Mum was always there for us, even though we came to understand as we grew older, how little time she had for herself.

Mum and Dad somehow managed to raise five kids, giving us a life that was not based on material items but which gave us so much more through the love, care and guidance that they instilled in each of us. Sometimes, it is only later in life that we fully appreciate things that were not apparent as children, and on reflection, our family is no different.

Our family of seven, was often joined by friends and relatives, with the household always buzzing with activity. There were regular barbecues in the backyard, with dozens of players from Marist Brothers Cricket Club and baseball teams often gathering at our place after the Saturday games.

We loved our time with the extended family and, apart from ‘friendly’ cricket in the park after Xmas lunch, there were many times that Michael and I rode our bikes up to Oakeshott Street to play cricket, baseball or touch with cousins Maurice and Paul and the many young residents of that neighbourhood. The intensity of these games no doubt helped develop the competitive attitude that served us all so well in formal contests, with each of my brothers and several cousins playing representative cricket and baseball at State level. I have come to appreciate, though, that the adults in my life instilled in us the attitude that, while you play hard, it’s only a game and we can all be friends when it’s finished.

Diadem Street is situated within the flood zone and I have plenty of vivid memories of floods. I think Mum and Dad always had a plan to find a place out of the immediate reach of flooding. The 1974 flood, which came into the upstairs area of our elevated house and was Lismore’s biggest before the horrendous event of 2022, prompted them to buy a block of land on Donnan’s Road and build a new house for the family. Dad, a chippie by trade, built the house himself, with a lot of help from Danny, a little from me, and the professional skills of his cousins, well-known local brickies, Bernie and Mick Davis. We moved into the new place in 1978.

The family always valued time together and lots of stories and laughs around the dinner table, often joined by friends, saw our time at Diadem Street being a happy place and the move to Donnan’s Road as a worthy reward for our parents, who had sacrificed a lot to raise us.

(The Gahan siblings at our home in Diadem Street Lismore about 1968)

(Danny, Peter, Terry and Michael about 2000)

School days for me started at Our Lady Lourdes at East Lismore, and I had one year at St Carthage's (Year 3), before heading across the road to Marist Brothers, where I graduated from 6th Form (now called year 12), in 1974. 

I was fortunate to have been part of an amazing group of students, who were not only friends, but individuals who were outstanding people. Tony Bindon went through school with me from kindergarten to 6th Form and also played school rugby league with me. John Maquire, who opened the bowling for Australia, but fell out of favour by going on the Rebel Tour of South Africa, was also a schoolmate of mine. Another schoolmate was Peter O’Neill, who toured England as a member of the Australian Schoolboys team in 1973 and captained the same team a year later in a Test against the touring British Schoolboys team.

For a kid from the country and a place where rugby was not a big sport, those selections were one hell of a feat. Peter would go on to become a successful lawyer and like many school friends, inspired me as a person, in so many ways.

I have come to understand that our school group was pretty extraordinary, imbued with sound values by our parents and our township, always up for a challenge, willing to listen to one another, to learn, and to be strong physically and mentally. Typically, we would sit around at recess talking about what books we were reading, with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ being a mandatory read by age 13. It was just the way we saw things as a collective group of otherwise ordinary kids. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that sport was a central theme at school and beyond, with several of us having gone on to play sport at high levels. As we grew older (and decades later), I am proud to say that my school friends were each role models (before I even knew what that meant).

My love of sports started when I was young, and whether it was cricket in summer, baseball in winter or a range of sports as I grew older, playing (or later coaching), sports has defined my life. Dad loved cricket and the Gahan family has been involved with cricket for as long as I can remember. My late brother Mick achieved the seemingly impossible of a big century (171 not out) and 7 wickets in junior cricket one Saturday morning, and then scoring another century (129) and taking 3 more wickets that afternoon. 300 runs and 10 wickets in a day! Mick’s ability as a baseball catcher is also spoken about in awe, and is one of several Lismore players who might have played professional baseball if such an opportunity had existed in the early ‘70s.

When I was 14, I played reserve-grade cricket under club stalwart Pat Milgate, who was always keen to give young talent a chance. I finished up winning each of the batting and bowling awards that season. It wasn’t until a few years later that I made First Grade and found myself being selected in the Lismore Representative team and ultimately for Far North Coast, North Coast and Country NSW teams. I was frequently captain of these teams.

During the World Series Cricket days, Lismore hosted a game between the Australian team and the Cavaliers. This was the last match on the tour, and the WSC Australian team was down to a bare eleven players due to injuries. The late John McMahon, who was, of course, well connected in cricket circles, was contacted to ask if there was a local cricketer who would be ‘up to fielding’ if required and John was gracious enough to nominate me. I would get a huge cheer from the big crowd each time I went onto the field, taking drinks and other needs for players.

The wicket at Oakes Oval Lismore, usually very slow, was instead lightning fast. Trevor Chappell toiled to score a tenacious century, but was hit numerous times, and I was told to ‘be ready’ to field (as if I needed the encouragement), in case Trevor could not answer the bell the next day. Unfortunately for me, Trevor had the Chappell toughness and gutted it out, as Australia ran through the Cavaliers batsmen, denying me of my chance at glory.

My youngest brother Terry, who had been given the role of clubhouse boy for the Cavaliers team, was gifted the boots of the great South African all-rounder Eddie Barlow. They were terrific cricket boots, and I subsequently borrowed them several times to wear in big games.

I also played some rugby league, playing parts of two seasons as lock or in the second-row in First Grade with Marist Brothers, as a 19/20 year-old. Playing against Noel and Les Cleal, who had a stint with Wests in Lismore before the huge, barnstorming duo headed to Sydney, are not fond memories though. One of them ran over the top of me as if I was a speed bump. Although I was relatively slight, I prided myself in having a good tackling technique and being very fit. Although it didn’t help that day, Marist Brothers stalwart Barry Harmon was tallying tackles and had me making 60 tackles in that game, with second-row partner Tommy Sivewright making about 40. Sounds like our team, we didn’t have much of the ball that day.

I had a few sporting detours, and in my later teenage years. I tried rowing surf boats, with Max Sidney, who was a legendary sweep at that time, guiding our boat at the Lismore Ballina Surf Club. I also worked my way through the coloured belts in Tae Kwon Do, as did my brother Danny, who reached 2nd Dan black belt. Although not the most practical style in serious combat, Tae Kwon Do helped to greatly improve my coordination and athleticism. I became very flexible, developed better hip function and agility, and substantially improved my mental strength and discipline, all of which helped enormously as I became more serious about sport generally.

As my life evolved, I was always looking for ways to explore new challenges, and even though sport has been a massive influence, I actually did other things, that were not centred on sport. I am a qualified primary school teacher, having graduated from the Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education (now Southern Cross University), and I was a full-time teacher for nine years, working at schools including at Casino, Ballina and my own primary school of St Carthages, Lismore.

My other employment outside of sport, was five years working with AMP, firstly as a Training Officer and then moving into a management role in Brisbane sales units. I also enjoy painting the odd portrait and while I cannot play a guitar or sing anywhere near as well as my brother Terry, the music of choice for the Gahan family has always been from the albums of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and a vintage of genius songwriters whose works have stood the test of time. 

Baseball is, however, the sport that has resonated with me more than others.

I started throwing a baseball as an 8-year-old, and after being selected to represent Queensland, I made it to the U14 National team in 1970. I progressed through the older age groups and again won selection in the U17 Australian team in 1973. I have been involved, as either a player or coach, ever since. My favoured position is catcher, but I was also selected in various years as a pitcher, 3rd Baseman and 2nd baseman for Queensland Claxton Shield teams for the Australian championship. I played for Australia from 1979 to 1983, mostly at 3rd base, but also filled in at times as pitcher, catcher, 2nd base, and outfield.

My domestic career was mainly with Queensland, between 1979-87 where I played in the National Claxton Shield competition, including Queensland’s first Championship victory in 1982. I also played one year with NSW in 1983. This was the year that I went to Belgium with my then-girlfriend and now wife of 39½ years, Susan. 

(Collage of photos playing baseball for Marist Brothers at Albert Park Lismore)

I have been fortunate to have many ‘sliding door moments’ and being awarded the North Coast Sportsperson of the Year in 1982 was one of the biggest of such moments. The prize for that award was 2 tickets to London with Singapore Airlines and, as luck would have it through baseball, the representative for the airline was Pat Fitzgerald, a former North Lismore boy who made sure we got maximum value out of the prize.

Susan lived in Wollongong at that time and I was playing for NSW and living in Sydney. Susan and I were introduced at a party through a baseball connection and as they say, ‘the rest is history’. We would head to Europe, where in 1983, we eventually ended up (deliberately) in Belgium, where I played with a club, Antwerp Eagles, that had been in the league for 60 years and had never won the title.

Although I had at times wondered what I was getting myself into, we turned out to have a very good team and had the title sewn up well before the season was completed. I was 27 at the time and had perhaps my best season ever. I pitched well, played solid defence and went very well with the bat, setting records for home runs and batting average. I also made many contacts in European baseball that finished up opening more doors.

 Claxton Shield success with Queensland, on this occasion as a coach.

Susan and I returned to Lismore in 1984, and were married in December of that year in Byron Bay. We have two children: Courtney (now 37) and Caleb (34). Both are very active and played a number of sports growing up in Brisbane. They both played for their respective National (Team) Handball teams and currently live in Europe as a result.

Courtney is a freelance writer and editor who has had long-term contracts with the European Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation, traveling the globe to report on the many events conducted by this major international sport. She also edits PhD theses, particularly for candidates with less than perfect English. Caleb still plays for the National team and is currently in London pursuing PhD studies in elite sport.

During my time in Lismore baseball, which included several years when we were living in Brisbane, Lismore remained home base and I played in nine winning A-grade premiership teams for Brothers.

We had very strong teams over that time, filled with Gahans, Youngberrys, Buckleys and Egans (as well as a couple of ring-ins). The standard of the local competition was very high, as it had only four teams in the top league, which kept the talent pool concentrated. Numerous players represented Queensland and Australia while playing in Lismore. During my career, it was dominated by Brothers and Workers, with the fearsome Adrian Meagher Jnr on the mound. There are too many wonderful players to mention, but I treasured the opportunity to play with Ray Buckley for many years, a true gentleman and a great athlete.

I started coaching juniors during this period, being smart enough to make sure that, as much as possible, I had players with good genes. Three players from one team I coached (Matt Buckley, Matt Gahan and Crag Egan) played professionally in the US. Matt Buckley was in the Australian youth squad I coached in 1990 (see picture below). Away from Lismore, I won three premierships with Brisbane Wests (coached by Greg Wade, himself a former national player) and one with Windsor Royals, coached by Ray’s eldest son, Mark Buckley.

My baseball career with the Australian team, extended over five years (1979-83), taking me to countries including USA, Japan, Chinese Tapai, Canada and South Korea. I am proud to have represented the National team for about 70-plus games as a player.

Whilst my favoured positions were playing in the infield, I actually started at the National level as an outfielder, but after moving into the infield, I was selected for every successive National team and was never replaced until my last game in my last series. I never played baseball professionally and every team I ever played against was made up of amateur league players, which is not to say that many of them could not have played professionally. The Cuban team, for example, were all serving “in the Army” when I played against them. They had many fine athletes, and their role was to keep the population entertained by playing in their domestic league, which consisted of 6 teams each playing 180 games a year. This is even more than Major League, which plays a regular season consisting of 162 games.

I started coaching baseball locally in 1974 and became involved with National junior programs around 1990. When in Europe, I met Chet Gray while he was coaching the Swedish National team. Chet became the Australian National Director of Coaching for Australian baseball in the mid-80s and we reconnected while I was completing a Level 2 accreditation in Canberra.

I stayed involved in junior national programs, firstly with development programs but then with National teams in World Championship events. I had two years as the Manager (head coach) and two years as the Pitching Coach of the U19 team, and then minor roles with National senior teams, including Australia’s Gold Medal win in the 1999 Intercontinental Cup.

1994-2008 saw me employed by the QLD Academy of Sport, firstly running the baseball program, and then as a Sports Program Manager, overseeing eight sports, for two years. The tennis program (one of “mine”) at the time included a couple of players named Sam Stosur and Bernard Tomic. While with the QAS, from 2001 to 2015, I was also coaching in and then administering the Major League Baseball Australian Academy Program (MLBAAP), an eight-week residential program on the Gold Coast for 60-80 of the best teenage players in Australia. It was at the first of these that I became friends with the great Karl Keuhl, who had been in charge of Player Development for several Major League organisations. He became a mentor of mine and arranged for me to take a position as a scout with the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). I would travel to Florida for two or three weeks each year as the Indians players prepared for their season.

In 2008, this blossomed into a full-time role with the Indians, split between scouting in Australia and Europe and coaching in the US. My annual routine started with scouting the Australian Junior Nationals in January, then heading to Florida for Major League Spring training to throw batting practice to the big leaguers and help out with their preparation. When they left camp to commence the season, I would coach the rookie catchers in Extended Spring Training before heading back to Australia in June to the MLBAAP. When that was finished, I would fly to Europe for the MLB European Academy and then drive and scout around Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. After that, I would come home to do follow-up and preparatory scouting in Australia before starting again in January.

I was working with teenage aspirants in Australia and Europe, with the newly signed rookies in the US, with players at all levels of Minor League Baseball, and with Major Leaguers on multi-million dollar contracts. It gave me a perspective that is possibly unique. I had previously been involved with high-quality sporting activity, but being able to see how one of the world’s very best professional sporting organisations operates was an experience that greatly enhanced my understanding of the development process.

Following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, however, circumstances took a turn for the worse. The Indians lost $US20 million in 2009 and 2010, and the need for austerity meant that they relegated me to a part-time role. They continued to treat me very well, keeping me in the loop and taking me over for scouting meetings annually. When they made the World Series in 2016, they flew me plus one (Susan was otherwise committed so our son, Caleb, came with me) to watch it. They made the playoffs for the next two years and 2018, again flying me plus one over to watch - our daughter, Courtney, in 2017 and Susan, at last, in 2018.

From 2010 through 2015 I worked for Baseball Australia, firstly as the National Manager of Coach Development and then with the addition of Officials Development. Due to funding cuts and disagreements on direction, I was let go from that role at the beginning of 2016. Through 2016, I worked various part-time roles coaching baseball and cricket, before taking up a Coach Development Manager’s role with the Northern Territory Institute of Sport at the beginning of 2017.

This was a role aimed at helping club coaches across all sports to make the role more interesting and functional for them and their charges. It was exactly suited to my philosophy at the time, as I had become, and remain, a firm believer that the emphasis on elite sport is all wrong. Sport should be something you do, not something you just watch. I enjoyed it immensely and established a good working relationship with a range of good people throughout the Territory, all of whom were coaches in sports other than baseball. The uncertainty and travel restrictions surrounding the COVID crisis ultimately led to me feeling that I could no longer remain in the NT, and I retired in 2021.

Back in Brisbane, I once again did some part-time and volunteer work coaching baseball and cricket, before Susan and I finally returned to Ballina and closer to our roots (Susan was born in Kyogle).

The journey as a baseball coach continues today. I am the Marist Brothers Club Coach this season. I have always enjoyed the challenges that baseball brings. There are many layers to the game, and I firmly believe that it is, above all, an excellent vehicle for personal development. At its most basic level, it is about a pitcher throwing a ball to a batter standing about 60 feet away and the batter trying to hit the ball. But with each player having a specific purpose and needing a specific set of skills, it can be a simple, purely athletic contest, or a cerebral chess match.

Strategy sometimes needs to subtly change with every few pitches, and sometimes remains as basic as throw hard, hit hard, run hard. At the highest levels, it requires a range of skills, mental toughness, the capacity to adjust and physical attributes of coordination and speed. And yet, at a community level, it can be played by those with little athletic talent and those with substantial disability.

Baseball continues to provide opportunities, even when I am not looking for them. Experience counts for a lot and I am often asked to provide input or to have a role in coach and player development, given my many years in the game. While the sport is not as high profile as football codes in Australia, the baseball community is very tight-knit and there have been some outstanding players and administrators in the sport, who are recognised internationally.

The baseball facilities at Albert Park in Lismore are brilliant, and Lismore is a destination now known around the baseball world as a consequence of the successful lobbying for investment and decades of planning, vision, toil and commitment of people, most notably Bill O’Sullivan. Like all community sporting organisations, there are also the people behind the scenes doing the hard yards and Far North Coast Baseball has individuals like Rod Green, who spends countless hours at Albert Park working tirelessly, behind the scenes so that baseball can exist within an environment that is the envy of many regions and cities globally.

Baseball has taken me around the world, and while Susan and I now live a quiet life in Ballina, I still spend plenty of time ‘living and breathing’ baseball.

Growing up in Lismore provided everything that I ever needed during those early years. I have certainly travelled a few miles since and seen plenty of sights, and that cannot help but change a person. My overwhelming feeling at this stage of my life is one of gratitude. I hesitate to specify what it is I feel most grateful for, and I feel sure that, at 67, the feeling that I am imbued with every day is just that, gratitude. I know I have been very lucky, to have grown up where I did, in the family I did, and among the people I did.