Paul Hickey: Reminder we owe volunteers so much

Volunteers keep all sorts of sports ticking over every weekend. Photo / File

Last Saturday morning was a bit of a shock to the system tied in with a blast from the past. I had agreed to look after a friend's kids for the day, which also included taking them to Saturday morning sports. Both my kids played Saturday junior sport growing up but, with both deciding not to play any more, it's been a couple of years since I had to head off to the fields or courts.

So off I trundled, kids in the car, heading to Westbrook netball courts. Admittedly it felt like it was only last week that I had done it last, it was all so familiar. Find a carpark (difficult), squeezing between people next to the courts (sorry), kids being told off for climbing fences (naughty boys), the buzzer (loud), balls flying (ouch) - oh what fun.

Maybe it was just because I was out of practice or out of my comfort zone, but after the experience I must say it's not something I've missed.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change the past because I certainly enjoyed it at the time, but it's not something I'd be rushing back into. At least it was a warm-ish morning.

A big positive thing that hasn't changed though is the influence of the volunteers, who are there every week. They all do a great job ensuring everything is organised and making it possible for us parents to just turn up and cheer on the kids having fun and being active.

Speaking of volunteers, I'm in the middle of reading through dozens of nominations for the Annual Trustpower Rotorua District Community Awards. It's a mammoth task, but I do feel privileged to be able to be part of the judging panel again this year. It's so hard to say this person is more worthy than that because they are all so passionate about what they do.

Music plays a huge role in most people's lives and I am sure we all have an affinity for at least one Kiwi band or singer that we probably saw live growing up.

For me, it has to be The Exponents, who were huge when I was in my late teens and early 20s, with legendary gigs.

I remember a pretty big 12 months where I went from being a paying punter in the crowd, to getting a radio job and then being their MC and hanging backstage with them.

I'm hoping that they feature today in The Hits Best 25 Kiwi Songs Ever countdown. We've been taking votes for the past couple of weeks and I will start the countdown at 12 today. Tune in on 97.5 FM, or via iHeart Radio.

I am sure there will be many memories around these songs.

Paul Hickey is the host of the locally based 9am-3pm show on The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM. Follow on Twitter @paulhickeynz or at The Hits Rotorua on Facebook.