Written By Koda Way and Harrison Mellare
When it comes to entertainment in the Illawarra, the times change like the lyrics of Dylan’s famous ballad. Once used for greyhound races, the Wollongong Showground was a staple of entertainment, hosting rugby league matches and marches. But people wanted more.
Settling on the area directly next to the showground, construction on a regional entertainment centre began in 1997, and $26 million later, Wollongong’s pièce de résistance was finished. The WIN Entertainment Centre — or as locals would name it, the WEC — burst to life with Bob Dylan on his Never Ending Tour welcoming a crowd of almost 5,000 people.
Excerpts from article following Dylan’s performance. Credit: Illawarra Mercury
Marc Swan has been the venue manager since 2017, but has been part of the entertainment centre since 2010. Over the 15-year tenure, he says that, while the place hasn’t changed much structurally, entertainment-wise, it’s always shifting.
“Over the last 25 years, I think the expectations of people attending events has changed around the guest experience,” Mr Swan says.
“I think that community is a really important thing for us, which is why we try to make ourselves available to such a broad, diverse program because we are a really big venue in town.”
The entertainment centre is home to a multitude of events, including but not limited to the NSW-wide Southern Stars competition, the Illawarra Hawks in the National Basketball League, the World Series of Darts, business dinners and galas, and a large number of musical and comedic performers.
“It kind of goes back to being all things to all people, and that’s the beauty of the flexibility of the venue as well, is that it can actually activate in a lot of different modes,” Marc said.
“It’s the big stage for the international performer, but then you get something like Southern Stars, where local school kids from around the region get to perform on the same stage in front of the big crowd with the big production.
“I think that’s really important because it’s a good stepping stone and it’s a great opportunity for people.”
Silverchair poster from 2003.
A Starry Night In Wollongong
In 2001, the New South Wales government decided to bring in a new program in partnership with the Centre to bring creativity from students to the front stage. Open to all schools, this event showcased live performances including dance and music on stage. This yearly event would be called Southern Stars.
Excerpt from article following the 2001 Southern Stars exhibition. Credit: Illawarra Mercury
The show highlighted the local talent from the younger generation, creating an environment for generations of creative-minded children to steal the limelight.
Twenty-year-old TAFE student Kai Johnson would later mark his orchestral debut and be a part of the live orchestra for the event in 2023 with his talent on the saxophone.
“Being a part of a band, you’re one piece to a whole puzzle,” Kai said.
The performance allowed him to connect with like-minded musicians and establish a name for himself as an aspiring artist.
“Because it’s so local, it goes to show how many experiences we have at our disposal,” he said.
Kai began tutoring saxophone and now encourages his students to participate in the annual show.
“A lot of the students I teach saxophone, they’re doing Southern Stars,” he said.
List of performers from the 2001 Southern Stars exhibition. Credit: Illawarra Mercury
Soaring Into The Sports
The WEC is also the home the Illawarra Hawks.
There was nothing more nostalgic than getting your pulled-beef roll for only $8.70 before entering the stadium to witness some of the greatest basketball history in Wollongong.
Coming from a stage that could hold up to 1,000 people before 1998, to one that can hold six times that number, allowed the Hawks to win their first NBL championship in the 2000 season, marking a golden moment in history for the Illawarra team.
The Illawarra Hawks after winning the 2000-2001 season. Credit: Illawarra Mercury
Veteran Hawks player Tim Coenraad made his debut on the stage in 2009.
“There’s not another feeling quite like it when you get thousands of people cheering you on,” Tim said.
Tim played for the Illawarra Hawks for 14 seasons.
“Being one of the top scorers in the final series against Perth in 2017 and listening to the roar from the entertainment centre was a big feeling,” he said.
News report following the game’s postponement. Credit: Illawarra Mercury
However, he also remembered when, in 2020, during the Hawks game at the WEC against the New Zealand Breakers, the roof began leaking, ultimately resulting in a postponement of the game.
“Rules said that New Zealand got the win at the stoppage so it was quite unfortunate,” he said.
This game was going to be Tim’s last one at the home ground, making it an unsettling finish for the retiring player. Luckily, the next year came around brighter than ever with Tim being re-signed.
“If it wasn’t for me being brought back from that season, that would of been my very last home game of the season, that leaky roof would have been my last game there.”
Overall, Tim found the centre to be a welcoming experience, not just for his career, but for his life. He found comfort in shooting hoops alone at the stadium became a relaxing ritual.
“When you’re bouncing a ball in an empty WIN Entertainment Centre by yourself, the echoes it creates, and the way it sounds different when you’re there by yourself, with a whole five-and-a-half-thousand seated stadium and a basketball court all by yourself.”
The Hawks continue to call the WEC their home, and their second NBL championship this year has inspired basketball fans from across the region to fill the WEC, just as it filled for Bob Dylan in 1998, and for so many performances in the intervening years.
The Hawks celebrate after defeating Adelaide 36ers in the 2000-01 semi-finals. Credit: Illawarra Mercury
