Steve Beech arrived in Australia from the UK in August 1974. He immediately commenced work at Applecross SHS where he met John Wallace, a PBA stalwart, who was a teacher at the same school. Applecross had established a junior basketball program so John soon had Steve involved in coaching 9 teams between them along with teams from Kewdale SHS. These made up the bulk of the Perth Junior District teams after the split that formed the Stirling Senators. This went on for several years as the Applecross Junior Basketball Club became self-sufficient under the direction of senior students and graduates from the school.
Between 1974 and 1980 Steve became an active member of the PBA Junior Committee along with John Wallace, Stuart Mackay and Tony Ewing, two teachers at Kewdale SHS and other senior PBA players along the way including Ed Rogers and Ian Frame. During this time, Steve also ran inter-school competitions and a Sunday morning PBA junior competition at Kent Street SHS.
Steve also spent several years as the Junior Committee Secretary and a similar amount of time as their Treasurer. He also coached PBA junior District Teams from 1975 to 1980 inclusive and co-ordinated PBA junior development camps.
From 1975 to 1980 inclusive, Steve played in Perth District Teams, mostly at A Reserve level, but with several A Grade games also. Players in the teams that Steve played in included former A Grade players Len Vlahov, Rod Clinch, Stuart Mackay, Rob Rowbottam, Alan Doughty and Norm Majors along with John Wallace.
In 1981 Steve went to the USA to study and teach, returning for vacations several times. He was immediately invited by Ed Rogers to help out at PBA junior development camps and also attended several ‘country’ development trips during that time.
On his return to Perth in 1990 Steve continued playing with the PBA and then joined the Senior Committee in 1992, remaining on the committee until the end of 2000 when he took up a lecturing position in Hong Kong. From 1993 to 1998, inclusive, Steve held the position of PBA President, then took a year off the committee in 1999 but returned to the senior committee in 2000 until his departure to Hong Kong. In 1998 Steve was awarded the Medal of Honour for his contribution to the PBA and then, after a return to Perth in 2004 was awarded Life Membership of the Perth Basketball Association.