This family’s cool on ice

By Justin Robertson
WE’VE heard of football families before; meet your first ice hockey family.
Instead of taking screamers and kicking goals on a grassy field, Dave Rama made a name for himself on ice, and his family is following suit.
During the mid 1960s, the Endeavour Hills ice-hockey nut used to tag along with his sister to the St Moritz rink in St Kilda.
It’s what kids did back then; it was a social meeting place.
Ice hockey has been around Victoria for more than 100 years and when confronted by a group of players at the rink, wearing ice-skates and carrying homemade wooden sticks, they asked him to try out and ‘have a go’.
In an era where big moustaches and long, flowing hair was the norm, Rama took up the sport and honed his skills in the net and adopted an unorthodox approach to the game.
“I’d be diving at the puck and people used to think I was crazy, but you do it to win games,” he said. “The rules have changed now to prevent players charging the goalie, but back then it was rough and tumble.”
Rama found his calling as a goalie and played at state level between 1969-71 and has not played any other position during his ice-hockey career.
After a 20-year absence from the sport – to help raise a family of four kids – Rama started playing again in 1996 and this weekend will take part in the National Masters Tournament, playing for his team the Nite Owls in the Old Timers Ice Hockey Australia league.
“One of my first coaches still remembers me now,” the 55-year-old said. “I saw him at the 100th anniversary dinner and he remembers from way back when I started.”
Rama’s passion for the ice eventually rubbed off on his family. When he asked his son, Dave Jnr if he wanted to play he initially said: “No, Dad, that’s your game.”
He first started playing inline hockey, but it was inevitable that he would soon follow in his father’s footsteps.
In 1997, a year later, he was skating on ice playing hockey for the Sharks and was eventually drafted by Premier A club, the Tigers (2008).
Dave Jnr, 23, has been playing for 14 years and also coaches the junior team Bantam Bombers and is assistant coach for the Midget Pirates.
His three siblings followed suit.
Sheree, 21, has played for the women’s Victorian team once.
Robert, 12, plays in the Pee-Wee team and will also play in the Ginsberg under-13s Victorian Team on 1 August in Queensland.
Ebony, nine, has been playing pee-wee hockey for three years.
And of course there is their proud hockey mum. Each Saturday after every home game, more than a dozen players head back to the Rama’s house, slump their wet hockey gear on top of three Harley Davidson motorcycles stored in the garage and feast on Lesley Rama’s home cooked pancakes, bacon and eggs.
“We sit around and talk about the games and then some of the players head out for practise or more hockey.”
Glancing at Dave Rama’s desk, just outside the kitchen, it is littered with more than 20 trophies – MVP’s, coaching awards, plaques for most potential and a life membership for outstanding service.
As we talk about Saturday’s Docklands tournament, his children are busy smashing the puck against the wall out on the driveway.