Six of South Australia’s incredible netball volunteers have been recognised as finalists for the 2022 HCF Volunteer Achievement Awards in the Metro and Country categories.
In the Metro category, Carole Kirby of the Gazelles Netball Club, Hannah Trevilyan of the Southern Stars Netball Club, and Bronwyn Thain from Oakdale Netball Club are the three finalists.
For Country, the finalists are Mary Hewett from the Northern Areas Netball Association, Kate Beaumont from the Port Lincoln Netball Association, and Marg Botha from the Southern Hills Netball Association.
The winners will be announced at Netball SA’s Awards Gala on Friday night, October 14.
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HCF Volunteer Achievement Award (Metro)
Carole Kirby has volunteered as treasurer of the Gazelles Netball Club for more than 10 years and has been described as an incredibly hard worker, ensuring the club’s financial stability while also servicing the community.
Dedicated to ensuring every has access to the sport they love, Kirby works directly with club members to establish payment plans where necessary and has worked with Netball SA to find creative solutions to new online payment systems.
In addition, Kirby is also the club’s social media manager and expert scorer and is always there to cheer on the teams no matter the weather.
She has strong connections across the Association and her dedication to sportsmanship and fairness has seen her recognized as a valued member of the Association.
Hannah Trevilyan has been club president of the Southern Stars Netball Club since 2017 and has worked tirelessly to drive the club and create a strong culture of positivity and inclusivity.
In her time, the club has seen a significant growth in membership numbers and the club has acknowledged how much work Trevilyan puts in daily to achieve this.
In her time as President, she has involved the club in a second winter competition for seniors and juniors, added wellbeing camps for players and introduced Junior Club Member of the Year.
Last year, she approached a member of our club to create an Indigenous design to incorporate into the new club dress and is now looking at ways to use this design across all Southern Stars uniform.
As well as coaching herself, she mentors coaches to lead with positivity and drive. She has helped create teams of confident young women who have learned to love the game as much as she does.
Through it all, she works tirelessly without fuss or need for accolades, but her nomination acknowledged how deserving she is of public recognition for her achievements and her commitment to Southern Stars. The club would not be what it is today without her.
Bronwyn Thain has been president of the Oakdale Netball Club for the past three years and is passionate about creating an environment where young girls and women can be developed and supported.
Her nomination for this award highlighted her work in establishing the club’s inaugural First Nations Scholarship program in 2022, in which five Indigenous players were identified and awarded a scholarship that included specific coaching, financial assistance and ongoing buddying so that they can grow their skills, participation, confidence and ultimately, thrive in the community.
Additionally, she has spearheaded the club’s effort to contribute and give back to the community through several fundraising and community activities, including:
- Raising funds for Childhood Cancer through the yellow laces campaign which has raised close to $10K
- Recycling and supporting remote communities through re-gifting Oakdale uniforms to remote communities
- Supporting the Red Cross/ Red Nose Day through donations of clothing
Thain’s dedication to the club, families, players and the broader Netball SA community has extended into coaching which she continues to support and teach the game to young players for over 20 years.
Her passion, energy and desire to foster and grow the game is endless has led to many unpaid hours of time, over and above her full-time working commitments and the club has credited it’s growth and increased inclusivity to her efforts.
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HCF Volunteer Achievement Award (Country)
Mary Hewett has spent the past 30 years volunteering across multiple levels from club to association, to regional and state, taking on numerous positions.
Over the years, she has held the role of President, Vice President, Scorer, Treasurer, Umpires Coordinator, Northern Region Netball Committee member as a delegate for NANA and as Secretary and President.
She has also been a Website and Social Media Coordinator, and Association Teams coordinator and selector, and umpire and coach, and member of the working party that co-ordinates the Association Best and Fairest Presentation.
At State level, Hewett has been part of the Country Championships Organising Committee for many years, and Convenor for the past eight years. She has also organised the Country Champs Top 10 A grade Team being their Team Manager for almost a decade.
This year, she will retire from her roles in netball to begin travelling Australia with her husband, prompting her Association to nominate her for her outstanding commitment, dedication and passion to netball.
She is a loyal, hard-working, considerate, fair, and highly respected within the netball community - a true ambassador to netball.
Kate Beaumont has been nominated for her years of work for both her club, the Ravendale Storm, and the Port Lincoln Netball Association.
As current President, a coach, and a player of the club, she played a key role in rebranding the club in recent years to ensure it was able to continue to operate and compete in the competition.
She has been successful in increasing the junior and senior numbers and teams working towards re-entering an A grade team in 2023
She is also the Vice President of the Port Lincoln Netball Association and spends multiple hours volunteering in this role. She is the Records Officer which has involved working through the new PlayHQ system for the six clubs involved in the association and the 14 grades that play every Saturday.
Beaumont is also the technical brains of the management committee, taking great pride in ensuring the Facebook page is up to date and organising presentations and trophies for the Senior Association Counts.
You’ll find her at the courts on a Saturday from 8.45am right through to 5.30pm and then back again on Mondays organizing banking and finances. She takes on roles every day of the week to keep the club and association thriving.
Her nomination described her as a hard-working gem who balances her volunteering with working part-time and raising a young family.
She is also described as the epitome of a young volunteer giving their all to ensure her club and the association continue to function successfully and provide multiple opportunities to young and older players to compete in the game we love.
Marg Botha has been nominated for her many roles within the Seaford Storm Netball Club and the Southern Hills Netball Association.
She has held roles as Recording Secretary, Grants Officer, Junior Coach for U11’s, Senior Coach for A1’s, Pre-Season Coordinator, BBQ and Canteen Volunteer, Coaching mentor, Finals Sub Committee Coordinator 2021.
Botha may not play herself anymore, but she contributes to all other areas of the club from helping coaches and coordinators with planning and development or assisting with training, to providing development opportunities for junior and senior coaches.
She is a constant presence and voice on game day, watching and cheering for all Storm teams. She has been described as an instrumental part of the club, continuously brain storming opportunities for improvement and ensuring inclusivity is at the forefront.
Despite working full-time, Botha has managed to juggle her netball volunteering with also working with the local Surf Life Saving Clubs and competing in triathlons.
The club have acknowledged they would be lost without her guidance and endless efforts in creating a positive and nurturing club culture.
The winners of these two awards will be crowned at the Netball SA Awards Gala on Friday night, October 14.
TICKETS: Click HERE to purchase tickets to netball’s night of nights
