For outstanding service to hockey

Rob Leslie's family has been involved in the sport for many years.Photo/File

At the Hockey NZ awards dinner earlier this month, Tauranga hockey stalwarts Caroline Bigham, Bill Webb, Alan Galletly and Rob Leslie were awarded the prestigious gold service awards in recognition of over 25 years service to hockey. Sports Editor PETER WHITE reviews their outstanding contributions to hockey in the Western Bay.

Rob Leslie

There can be few families in New Zealand with the hockey history of Rob Leslie's.

His grandmother Myrtle Pearce was one of five sisters who played for Canterbury in pre World War I days and she scored the first goal for New Zealand in international hockey in 1914.

Leslie's mother June played in the International Wanderers team in Cape Town in 1950 before she represented New Zealand in England in 1953. His sister Janette Francis represented New Zealand at Masters level and cousin Chris Leslie has made a career coaching at regional and national levels after playing more than 50 games for New Zealand.

Yes indeed a rich tapestry and Leslie was a fine player himself. He rose to prominence with three years in the Timaru Boys' High School First XI, represented South Canterbury at under-16 and colts level, before winning a hockey blue for Otago University and representing Otago.

In 1979 he took up a post at Tauranga Boys' College and 35 years later is still Master in Charge of Hockey. In 2013 he was awarded the BOP Sports Awards Service to Sport award for his superb contribution to secondary schools hockey.

Bill Webb

Bill Webb's career playing the game lasted 56 years until he retired last year and his involvement as a voluntary contributor in many facets of the game goes back to 1975.

His umpiring career began in 1980 and includes officiating at National Masters tournaments from 2011 to 2013, and he was the umpires liaison officer at the Champions Trophy International Men's Tournament in 2011. On Saturday he officiated in the big Midlands men's local derby between Bayley Otumoetai and CMS Mount.

Webb was a pioneer in getting superior quality turf to play on at the Tauranga Hockey Centre based at Blake Park. He was instrumental in the first turf laid in 1992 and was groundsman from 1993 until recently. In his role as maintenance convener at the hockey centre, he mentored numerous secondary school pupils each Sunday afternoon all year-round for 17 years.

Webb also served on numerous committees from 1975 to 2013, was president of the Tauranga Hockey Association from 1983 to 1996, and was the media liaison officer for a decade.

Hockey NZ awarded him the Pakistan Trophy in 1997.

Alan Galletly

A former president of Hockey NZ from 1992 to 1994, Alan Galletly has been involved in hockey in Tauranga since 1973 and he was honoured with life membership of the Tauranga Hockey Association.

Hockey NZ awarded him the Bronze Service Award for 15-20 years of service in 1997 and the Silver Service Award for 20-24 years of service, so it is fitting that Galletly has now received the ultimate award.

Decades of students at Otumoetai College have benefited from his high-quality coaching skills and today he still helps out with coaching the school's First XI girls' team. Black Sticks star Sam Charlton credits Galletly for steering her career and fostering belief from a young age. His daughter Jo also came through the same Otumoetai system and represented New Zealand at the Beijing Olympics.

Galletly coaches the Mount Premier women's team and was a fine player himself until he stopped playing competitively in 2009.

His sense of humour and warm smile are attributes he is well known for, and he is always willing to share his coaching tips - even with the opposition.

Caroline Bigham

Caroline Bigham's talent as a hockey player was apparent early on. She spent four years in the Tauranga Girls' College First XI from 1964 to 1967 and continued playing until finishing with the Otumoetai club in 2008.

But her pre-eminence as an umpire and technical officer is where she made her name in the game.

She began umpiring at various levels in 1966 and continues to do so today. Her career highlights include three consecutive finals at the National Women's Tournaments 1987-1989 and she was the NZ Senior Women's team umpire on the 1989 Australian tour.

As a technical official of top-ranked teams and technical director of tournaments, she has done an outstanding job at levels as varied as Rankin Cup, National Under-18 tournaments, North Island age groups, the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, and the Black Sticks women v Japan in 2011.

Bigham has given years of dedicated service to foster hockey in Tauranga and particularly loved seeing junior umpires aspire to international status. She has coached at school level and has been active as an administrator at Tauranga, Bay of Plenty and national levels and has been a Hockey NZ Umpires council member since 2006.

Bigham is a life member of the Tauranga Hockey Association and Hockey NZ awarded her the Bronze Service Award for 15-20 years of service in 1997 and the Silver Service Award for 20-24 years of service in 2009.