It is with much sadness that Netball NSW has been advised of the passing of Hills District Netball Association President Cate Newman.
A stalwart of the game, Cate gave tirelessly to netball both as a volunteer at her Association and as an administrator with Netball Australia.
Cate held various roles at HDNA over almost a decade of service, including being part of the Association’s Umpires Committee while she also acted as Office Admin and Treasurer before becoming President.
HDNA Vice President Lisa Robertson paid tribute to Cate, who she described as someone who loved spreading the joy of netball to all.
“Cate loved netball, it was her passion and she instilled a love of it in so many people,” she said.
“Her sudden passing has come as a huge shock and we want to take this time to reflect on the wonderful things she did for her local community.
“Her passion for netball was infectious, and for her the game was a family affair. Cate was the Club coach of her daughter Dom’s team who won their first grand final last Saturday, which was a wonderful achievement.
“We know she was also hugely proud to see Dom on the HDNA committee as well. There is a current sense of disbelief at this news, and everyone at HDNA will miss her terribly.
“We know that everyone at our Clubs and Association, as well as the wider netball community, will pull together at this time. First and foremost, we want to be there for Cate’s family and friends for whom this is a deeply difficult time.”
Cate was a Netball Australia employee and she also worked closely with Netball NSW, particularly across Play HQ community integration.
She brought a positive energy and warm presence to the organisation’s Netball Central offices in Sydney Olympic Park and we are so very grateful that Cate was part of our Netball NSW family. Not only did Cate make the game of netball better, she was a wonderful role model and great support to many of us at Netball NSW.
Netball NSW would like to extend its deepest condolences to Cate’s daughter, family, friends, colleagues and everyone at HDNA at this time.
