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JOHN Gardiner was one of a kind, though it was of a kind with which we are delightedly familiar in Australia.

He loved a laugh and wasn't afraid to have one at his own expense - that quintessential Aussie quality. And he always put in more than an honest day's work.

That was John.

A star at Newcastle during the 60s alongside another star I idolised growing up, Denis Kibble, John was at the forefront of a NSW state team consistently working to break the Victoria-South Australia stranglehold on national titles.

It was the era of the Beatles and NSW was sick of being George Harrison to the Lennon-McCartney that was SA-Victoria.

NO BEATLE: John in his playing days

John represented his beloved Newcastle Association for 15 years, wracking up an unprecedented 12 NSW titles and making Newcastle synonymous with top level success nationwide.

He represented NSW at senior level for more than a decade and was a member of the Blues' state team which won the 1967 Australian Men’s Championship, the stranglehold briefly broken.

In 1964, he was one of the NSW stars selected for the Australian team which not only qualified for the Tokyo Olympics but finished a very creditable ninth.

He was selected as a Boomer again for the 1968 Mexico Games but the Victoria-SA split in that team sabotaged its chances of success during the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Monterrey.

In 1970, he was a member of Australia's first team to contest a FIBA World Championship. My brother Huba was on that same team and whenever we saw each other at various basketball events around Australia, John never forgot to ask about him or to send his best wishes.

He was that sort of guy.

Moving to Perth, he coached Perry Lakes Hawks men to five WA-SBL Championships.

WORDS OF WISDOM: John addresses his Hawks

He also was Director of Coaching at Perry Lakes for 25 years and chaired the SBL Commission of Basketball WA for 26 years.

When he died last year, it was a passing felt by the broader basketball community.

Last night at the men's State Basketball League grand final in Perth, Basketball WA dedicated the show courts at the WA Basketball Centre in honour of the great man.

IMMORTALISED: John's widow, Peta, on the left and the middle of his three sons, Heath, on the right.

It was a wonderful gesture and very much deserved for one of the major contibutors to our sport and also one of the great blokes of Aussie basketball.

Lord knows where the sport would be today if not for the passion, love and vision of men like him.