Netball NSW is delighted to announce that two stalwarts of the game, Carol Murphy (Baulkham Hills Shire) and Vicki Kerr OAM (Sutherland Shire), have been awarded Life Membership of the organisation.
The duo was recognised at the NNSW Annual General Meeting in Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday. Cathy Aird, of Baulkham Hills, was also presented with the Waratah Service Award on the day.
Murphy, a current NNSW Board Member and Baulkham Hills Shire Netball Association Life Member, has been a servant of the game for more than three decades.
A passionate member of the Impalas Netball Club, she joined the NNSW Board in 2009 and chaired sub-committees in the fields of Sports Marketing, Governance and Appeals across her tenure.
Murphy has been a leader of many improvements and opportunities for netball across the state. She has driven and influenced change through her passion for strong governance and processes over a period when netball has had to evolve to keep pace with the ever-changing sports industry.
Kerr, a former state player and coach representative, was inducted into the NNSW Hall of Fame in 2014.
An Australian Sports Medal and Order of Australia Medal recipient, she was a fixture in the NSW Opens teams from 1971 to 1978 and Head Coach of the NSW 21/U team from 1982 to 1990, guiding them to six National Championships.
Kerr not only played a significant part in the development and standing of netball throughout her playing and coaching careers, but continues to give back to her own community.
She is a Life Member of the Sutherland Shire Netball Association and has contributed significantly over many years to the growth and development of athletes within the Sutherland Shire, primarily through coach development.
Meanwhile Aird, another winner of the Australian Sports Medal and a Sport NSW Distinguished Long Service Award recipient, has added the Waratah Service Award to the Anne Clark Award she received in 2006. The Waratah Award recognises individuals who display distinguished service to NNSW in the capacity of an organisational or operational volunteer for at least ten years.
NNSW President Louise Sullivan congratulated all three on their recognition.
“Carol and Vicki have provided immense service to netball for decades and it is brilliant to acknowledge people who come from both high performance and administration backgrounds with Life Membership,” she said.
“Both areas are vital to the success of a sport and in Carol and Vicki we have two wonderfully dedicated individuals who’ve firmly helped make netball one of Australia’s major codes.
“The Waratah Service Award is another of our highest honours and I think few have displayed more commitment to the game in NSW than Cathy, who is a very worthy recipient.
“On behalf of everyone at Netball NSW and the wider netball community, I congratulate all three and look forward to their continuing contribution to the game.”
