RISE AND RISE OF WOMEN
Q
What was women’s sport like when you were competing, and how has it changed?
A
There was little but it was there. And there was a lot of competition. In hockey Burleigh against Southport and Labrador, it was murder – they hated each other. But that was OK because it means they were competitive. I also started a basketball team at Burleigh.
Q
You helped start a lot of things. Was your motivation simply that you thought it was the right thing?
A
I just thought there was a need. All you had to do was talk to people. Slowly we got fields and the Gold Coast was a good place, better than in Brisbane.
Q
Did you hit many hurdles, in terms of people trying to halt women’s sport?
A
Not really but a lot took no notice of us. Some didn’t help too much and I remember getting (sponsorship) help from this Chinese restaurant who gave us T-shirts. I remember my mistress at school when I was leaving saying, ‘don’t you worry about all this silly sport, you’ll get all the exercise you need with the broom’. I didn’t dare say anything. But it turned me off housework.
Q
So it’s safe to say the legacy you have helped create is what you’re most proud of?
A
I haven’t created that, but sport does bring you together. The Suns asked if I could come and talk to the AFLW side and I said, ‘I don’t know what to say’. They said they wanted to know how we got things started (for women’s sport). I’m staying loyal to my dad and rugby league but it’s fantastic what the Suns have done and I have never liked those biased for their own sport. I like to help all sport.