Volunteers given life membership

Long-serving pair Susan Heberle and John Palfrey became the latest life members of the Lower Great Southern Hockey Association when they were recognised at a special ceremony last Saturday.

Heberle and Palfrey have both been involved in the local hockey scene for numerous years in varying roles and they were announced as the first new life members since Ron Hodgson back in 2003.

Heberle has been the records officer in the LGSHA since 1995 and originally became involved in the sport through her family, not as a player.

Over many years she has complied records on membership data, shield information and game results, with most of this work a thankless task done away from the spotlight.

Her roles have also included administering the permits sub-committee and initiating revisions of Hockey Australia software to help with things such as umpire allocation.

Heberle won a Mike Stidwell Medal for her dedicated work in administration of local hockey and joins husband Ron as a life member of the association.

Palfrey has been a constant presence around the LGSHA since the 1980s and has filled a number of voluntary roles, which all started with coaching his daughter’s hockey team.

His roles have included coaching local teams and also representative teams at carnivals, and being ground controller, which entails tasks such as filling up the water bath for players to use entering the turf, time control, watering the turf when required, and turning the lights on.

He has been the ground controller from 2010 through to this season and has watched countless games.

The LGSHA thanked both valued members for their countless hours of contribution, most of which had gone unnoticed by many.