By Alesha Capone
Former Footscray Hockey Club player Sue Hounslow says that she feels “overjoyed” to have been awarded a life membership to Hockey Victoria.
Mrs Hounslow, who started playing the sport at school, is a life member of the Werribee Hockey Club and has volunteered extensively for various hockey organisations.
“I feel you do these things to help out not to receive any awards for it – although I won’t knock them back,” Mrs Hounslow said.
Mrs Hounslow said she took a break from hockey between the end of school and marrying her husband, but returned to the sport during the 1970s.
Living in Yarraville at the time, she joined Altona Hockey Club, where they played on grass rather than the synthetic turf of today.
“This made it more fun when it rained and large puddles formed in the pitch, that the ball mostly made its way into the middle of,” Mrs Hounslow said.
“Seeing grown ladies splashing about in the puddle trying to get the ball out would have been quite a sight.”
After moving to Werribee in 1979, she transferred to the Werribee Hockey Club.
Mrs Hounslow became the club’s junior co-ordinator, which included attended monthly meetings of the Victorian Junior Hockey Association.
“This organisation was in charge of fixturing and all the administrative aspects of junior hockey in Victoria, including regional teams as well,” she said.
She also later took on the role of the association’s treasurer and also began assisting the Victorian Women’s Hockey Association with their books, implementing new financial practices between 1998 and 2003.
As well, when several associations came together to form Hockey Victoria, Mrs Hounslow set up financial and administration aspects for the new organisation.
Mrs Hounslow said that as she grew older, she wanted to play with a veterans’ team.
Because Werribee did not have a veterans’ side, she joined Footscray Hockey Club’s veterans (masters) team.
This period also saw Mrs Hounslow selected for a State Veterans’ Hockey team, which played in Sydney against all the other Australian states.
She also joined the Sub-Committee of Women’s Masters from 2002 to 2012.
“Later, Werribee formed a veteran team so I played with them instead of Footscray,” Mrs Hounslow said.
“I played right up to 2015 when, due to injury, I retired.
“I believe if I didn’t have the injury, I would still be playing today.”
Mrs Hounslow said that remaining involved with the sport’s administrative side keeps her involved.
She also volunteers at a Uniting church and as an instructor and treasurer at the Werribee Obedience Dog Club.
Mrs Hounslow said she enjoyed the fun and friendships that she has made while volunteering.
“This is the case in all aspects of volunteering, be it a sporting or charity organisation,” she said.
Mrs Hounslow said she would encourage other people to become volunteers.
“You can also help and encourage people who are not as fortunate in life,” she said.
Mrs Hounslow said she would like to thank her husband, who is a great support.
“He even sometimes gets involved as well with the administrative side of things, being an accountant,” she said.
