ANENDRA SINGH You heard it here first. She's legally blonde and legally a Kiwi.
South African-born Silver Fern goal shoot Irene van Dyk last night disclosed that she and her husband, Christie, and daughter, Bianca, who turned seven on Thursday, had received their letters of citizenship from the Immigration Department.
"Yes,
Christie was sworn in as a New Zealand citizen two weeks ago and Bianca and I will be sworn in either next week or the week after," the 1.9m tall co-skipper of Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic netball team told Hawke's Bay Today yesterday afternoon soon after jetting in from Wellington to play for the Hamilton franchise.
The bubbly former South African player trained yesterday with the Magic at Sacred Heart College in Napier before today's 3pm clash against the Flyers in the National Bank Cup competition at the Pettigrew-Green Arena in Taradale. "After being in South Africa in December we realised that citizenship is definitely for us."
So how does she feel about being a Kiwi? "Fabulous! Nobody can call me anything else now. I'm now legal. I'm here and this is my home. I don't care what they call me now," says the 32-year-old who has often copped criticism for sporting the Silver Fern while living in New Zealand as a permanent resident.
A Magic co-captain Amigene Metcalfe is likely to form a deadly combination with van Dyk today.
The pair call the shots on the court every weekend depending on the toss of a coin. For the record, Metcalfe won this won.
"My strength is linking with I's (Irene) and that hasn't been going consistently too well, so I'm just trying to tidy that side of our game.
Van Dyk shot 100 percent in the first round against the Diamonds and 93 percent last weekend against the Force. "I'm not too stressed out at this stage - mind you, I never get stressed," says van Dyk who is often accused of being too nice and is doing miserably in following coach Noeline Taurua's advice to "toughen up, girl".
