By KEVIN TUTTY
Jenny McDonald, regarded as the greatest player to represent the New Zealand women's hockey team, was made a life member of the New Zealand Hockey Federation at the weekend.
McDonald who scored more than 200 goals for her country in an international career that stretched over 15 years, received the award at a dinner marking the centenary of New Zealand hockey in Christchurch on Saturday night.
Although she is retired from the game, McDonald still has a huge involvement in the sport.
She has been active in administration, coaching, and selection in Otago since her retirement.
Two other servants of the sport were made life members – Neil Edmundson (Hawkes Bay) and Dave Craven (Manawatu).
Edmundson has been a Hawkes Bay delegate to the NZHF federation annual meetings for many years, and is a former manager of the New Zealand men's team.
He has also acquired a significant knowledge of artificial pitches and acts as a consultant to provinces around the country which are laying new surfaces.
Craven is a former international umpire and has been involved in umpiring at national level for 40 years. In recent years he has been an umpires' manager and is chairman of the federation's umpires' council.
An Otago man, Merv Rowe, was presented with the Pakistan Trophy for outstanding service to administration.
Suzie Pearce (Wellington), was presented with the New Zealand women's Player of the Year Trophy at the dinner.
Dion Gosling (Auckland), the men's Player of the Year, will be presented with the Brian Maunsell Memorial Trophy at a dinner in Auckland in two weeks.
Ramesh Patel, chief executive of the NZHF, said the meeting approved the inclusion of a seventh team in the national under-21 tournaments.
The northern region will be split into two areas, one team coming from the North Harbour and Northland provinces, and the other from Counties-Manukau, Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
Two members of the NZHF who retired by rotation, Janet Copland and Jan Martin, were returned to the board.
Jenny McDonald, regarded as the greatest player to represent the New Zealand women's hockey talks to Neil Greene, SportsForce Otago, at the Centenary Dinner. (Photo by Biggles)
