Australia:
If you head down to Albion Park Hockey Club on a balmy winter’s morning in the small town of Shellharbour in NSW, you’ll likely find a legend of the game still relishing time at the pitch.
It looks a little different these days, Dianne concedes she’s either enjoying catching up with friends and old teammates or running around after her six-year-old great niece who’s inherited her fond love of the game and the skill to match.
“She looks like she’s going to go quite well,” Dianne exclaims.
“The kids really like to have a muck around when they’re on the turf and we’ve still got lots of young ones around playing so that’s good.”
Over 50 years ago, Albion Park was where Dianne’s love for the game flourished, kickstarting a career that would see the midfielder go on to become one of the greats of women’s hockey.
As a teenager, Dianne made every New South Wales state team and after many years performing as one of the best players for her state, it was only a matter of time before she was regarded for the highest honour. The greatest moment of her career arrived without warning.
“We were playing at the Australian Championships in New South Wales and there was a dinner after and they named the Australian team!”
“I didn’t know I was even a shot because I didn’t know they were picking for the Australian team.”
Realising her dream was made at just 20 years of age, Dianne and her club at Albion Park rallied together to raise the funds, which included many raffles, to get her to London.
Her debut on a summer day in the UK capital against England in August 1973 remains one of her fondest memories.
“Your heart jumps out of your chest, I remember being nervous, really really nervous, and just feeling really proud,” Dianne recalls of pulling on the green and gold.
“It never changed. Every time I put it on I felt proud to represent my country and I just wanted to do my best.”
Dianne admits she was quite a shy player but six years after her debut in 1979 she was named captain of the women’s national team and on the field, she was known as one of the most explosive attacking centre halfbacks to grace the game.
After captaining the International Federations of Women’s Hockey Association team in Scotland, celebrating 100 years of hockey in Great Britain, a milestone moment came in 1980 when women’s hockey was introduced to the Olympic Games for the very first time in its history.
Dianne was named as the first female captain to represent Australia in hockey at the Olympics and to top it off they stood a good chance to win one of the first Olympic medals.
All of the great Olympic milestones followed; being named in the Australian team, receiving their first Olympic uniform… but then came a dreaded letter.
Notification from the Australian team that they were boycotting the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
“It was what it was,” Dianne says calmly.
“There was no point getting stressed out about it because there was nothing we could do about it.”
Instead, Dianne and the team picked themselves up and embarked on a tour of the United States where they would return home undefeated.
The following year, she led Australia to the World Cup in Argentina in 1981. But it wasn’t the big game moments that kept Dianne committed to the game for so long.
“I played squash, basketball and golf but the challenge of mastering the skill of hockey drew me to the game.”
“I don’t think you ever master it, I don’t think anyone could ever master it. You never stop learning and I just love it.”
Dianne may not think she’s mastered the innate skill of the game, but she’s certainly mastered her standing in Australian hockey.
Awarded legendary status 14 years after being inducted into Hockey Australia’s Hall of Fame in 2008, the accolade is bestowed upon a player who epitomises character, reputation and sportsmanship and Dianne has certainly mastered that.
After retiring from her playing career following the World Cup in 1981, Dianne dedicated her professional life to the game as a state and national coach and selector – a commitment that saw her recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1986 for Services to Hockey.
Her newfound Legendary status is another well-deserved accolade, following a decorated career, Dianne plans to celebrate with friends and teammates at her local club in Albion Park, the very place where it all started.
