The Wimmera Hockey Association was created in 1974 and succeeded the Horsham Women’s Hockey Association, which existed from 1951 to 1973, although hockey in the Wimmmera can be traced back to challenge matches as early as the 1920s between teams from Horsham, Nhill, Warracknabeal, and Stawell.

WHA Milestones

• 1951 to 1973- The Horsham Women’s Hockey Association was the pre-eminent hockey competition in the Wimmera. 
• 1974 - The Wimmera Hockey Association is formed due to there being teams from further afield than Horsham, and more mixed members of varying ages which demanded more divisions to accommodate these.
• 1985 - WHA became an incorporated body.
• 1990 - WHA honoured its first Life Member.
• 2001 - WHA celebrated fifty years of hockey competitions in the Wimmera, which encompassed the Horsham Women’s HA from 1951 to the Wimmera HA up to 2001.
• 2001 - The WHA’s 50th anniversary was recognised with the ‘50 Years of Wimmera Hockey’ booklet compiled by Casey Phelan.
• 2011 - WHA celebrated 60 years of hockey competition in the Wimmera, which encompassed the Horsham Women’s HA from 1951 to the Wimmera HA up to 2011.
• 2011 - An inaugural WHA yearbook, the ‘WHA Season Round Up 2010’, was officially launched at the WHA Presentation Night on Saturday, 17 September 2011.
• 2012 - The first official WHA hockey round on the new artificial turf at the Dimboola Health and Fitness Centre began with night matches played between the senior Dimboola and Horsham teams on Friday night, 18 May 2012, with the remaining Round 6 matches played on the following day.
• 2021 - The Dimboola Health and Fitness Centre, which incorporates the Wimmera’s first artificial playing surface, was officially opened on Tuesday, 22 May 2012.
• 2014 - WHA celebrated 40 years of the current Association.
• 2016 - An official Under 12 Development Program was introduced to be included in the weekly draw, with each club fielding a team.
• 2018 - Yanac Hockey Club becomes the first WHA club to achieve the elusive premiership trifecta, winning three grand finals in one season - U16 Yanac Warriors, Yanac Women and Open team Yanac Tigers. Tigers also became the first Men’s/Open team to win four consecutive premierships. The Yanac club was also the first to claim all three Best on Ground in the Grand Final medallions in the one year.
• 2019 - Yanac backed up their premiership trifecta by winning all three for a second consecutive season.
• 2020 - The WHA season is abandoned without a game played due to COVID restrictions.
• 2021 - Due to the continuing disruption of COVID restrictions, the season is curtailed after ten of the scheduled fifteen rounds. For the first time, finals were not played, and the premierships were awarded to the teams finishing on top of the ladder.
• 2021 - Yanac won all three premierships for a third consecutive year.
• 2023 - Yanac again won all three premierships.
• 2024 - The Wimmera Hockey Association marks fifty years since its formation from the Horsham Women’s Hockey Association.

Honouring Members

The Wimmera Hockey Association has chosen to honour some members by awarding Life Memberships and naming of several various awards, trophies, shields and medals.

This recognition has been for those who have contributed substantially to the WHA over a long period and some in Memorium.

WHA Life Members

1 – 1990 - Noreen Wheaton - Yanac

2 – 1994 - Jean Darnell - Dimboola / Horsham

3 – 1996 - Peter Colbert - Nhill

4 – 1996 - Jennifer Ford - Warracknabeal

5 – 2001 - Jenny R Smith - Horsham

6 – 2001 - Darren Barnett - Horsham

7 – 2003 - Simon King - Dimboola / Warracknabeal

8 – 2009 - Launa Schilling - Horsham

9 – 2009 - Suzanne Puls - Horsham / Warracknabeal

10 – 2009 - Sally Klinge - Dimboola

11 – 2009 - Heather Hutchins - Dimboola

12 – 2010 - Christine Dufty - Nhill

13 – 2013 - Casey Phelan - Warracknabeal

14 – 2018 - Helen Cannell - Yanac / Nhill

15 – 2018 - Clint Beattie - Yanac / Kaniva

16 - 2024 - Rachel Clark - Yanac / Kaniva / Nhill

Named Awards

• Noreen Wheaton Shield - Women’s Best and Fairest
  • A prominent player and administrator from the Yanac Club – served as WHA President between 1985 and 1990 and Vice President between 1981 and 1983.
• Jenny Ford Shield - Women’s Premierships
  • A prominent player and administrator from the Warracknabeal Club – served as WHA Treasurer from 1993 and 1995.
• Peter Colbert Medal - Best on Ground in the Junior Grand Final
  • A keen supporter of the WHA junior competitions. WHA Secretary from 1987 to 1990.
• Jane Gregson Memorial Medal - Best on Ground in the Women’s Grand Final
  • A prominent member of the Warracknabeal club who passed away in a road accident in 1992.
• Ken Flack Medal - Best on Ground in the Men’s/Open Grand Final (replaced by the Life Members’ Medal in 2015 when Ken Flack stepped aside from this award).
  • A long-serving umpire
• Life Member's Medal - Awarded on behalf of the Life Members of the Association to the Best on Ground in the Open Grand Final (replaced the Ken Flack Medal).
• Aitken-Findlay Shield - Open Best and Fairest
  • Iain Aitken and Grant Findlay were keen supporters of the formation of the Men’s competition in the mid-1980s.
• Andrew Darnell Memorial Plaques - Junior Boys Best and Fairest and Junior Girls Best and Fairest (replaced in 2010 when plaques were filled).
  • Andrew Darnell was the late son of Life Member Jean Darnell, who was a keen junior player before he passed away.
• Annie Anderson Memorial Goalkeeper Encouragement Award (inaugural 2023)
  • Former Horsham hockey player, well-known around the state and beyond for her personality and Hooked on Hockey mobile business, and a goalkeeper coach, passed away in a car accident late 2022.