1. 82 — THE EXAMINER, Thursday, November 5, 2015
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Perfect time to retire
for hockey servant
Gai Cross has probably filled every position going in four decades with Tasmanian hockey. Picture: NEIL RICHARDSON
By ANDREW MATHIESON
WEARY Gai Cross gazes
across to the work on the
newly-laid artificial turf at
the Launceston Hockey
Centre and for a moment
gasps in amazement.
‘‘Doesn’t this all look
great?’’ she asks.
After 13 seasons of wear
and tear, the centre’s main
pitch is coming up a treat.
But when the woman
whose time involved in Tas-
manian hockey has span-
ned four decades first
caught the eye of Launcest-
on’s muddy fields, the very
thought of such perfect syn-
thetic turf was one of pipe
dreams.
She remembers the
tough days out at Churchill
Park that had 10 very rough
grass hockey pitches.
‘‘All full of mud and you
were lucky some Saturday
mornings to be able to get
the ball out,’’ she said.
Driving the fundraising
for better playing condi-
tions, Launceston hockey
went from 10 grass pitches
to three modified grass and
later two gravel fields.
When brainstorming a
few sums some years later
found that council was
pouring out nearly $100,000
to preserve substandard
playing surfaces, Gai pro-
posed the money be better
spent on low-maintenance
synthetic surfaces.
‘‘I am just so glad now we
have kept this going,’’ she
said on the move to the
hockey centre.
From time first spent
marking the lines, squeez-
ing oranges and patiently
scoring every goal, Gai has
finally retired from all
hockey duties – with the
emphasis on tired.
Hockey Tasmania has lis-
ted 31 different roles that
the 76-year-old has per-
formed with aplomb and
little fuss.
‘‘I took a look at the
Hockey Tasmania website
the other day and until I
saw it (her positions) all in
the one place, I forgotten
about all that,’’ Gai said.
She started her own love
affair with hockey as a
player back in 1950 on the
North Sydney No.2 ground.
The retired school teach-
er was later the founder of
school teams in Sydney and
Nowra on the NSW South
Coast and in her travels
would introduce women’s
field hockey programs in
the US and Canada.
‘‘I started their journey
on hockey – you just think,
that is what you do,’’ Gai
said.
The move to Launceston
coincided with answering
her daughter’s plea to fill a
coaching vacancy of
Launceston City’s B grade
women’s team and later, a
list of positions she could
never imagine.
‘‘Once I wasn’t doing
teaching, I’d do more and
more, and if there was an
event on or leading up to
the start of the season,
you’ll be doing 50 hours a
week,’’ Gai said.
‘‘You don’t notice it, but I
bet if I asked my family
they would notice it.
‘‘Luckily my husband
played hockey and two out
of three kids played too, so
they understood.’’
A delegate, a secretary, a
tournament organiser, an
executive officer, all the
way to director and chair-
person of the Tassie Tigers
national league club, the
part-time administrator
has done it all.
And did it all on a shoe-
string budget, with little
more than pocket change to
cover fuel costs and a bite
to eat.
‘‘None of it was a fully
paid position; it was only
ever part-time, but not in
hours,’’ she said.
Her growing love over
the years has been for the
home-grown players at the
Tassie Tigers that have also
grown up before her very
eyes.
‘‘Just seeing the careers
of Matthew Wills, Eddie
Ockenden, Tim Deavin
starting off here and going
on – there the things you
think, ‘Hang on, we really
helped you get there’,’’ Gai
said.
This bond comes right
down to some of best inter-
national hockey names go-
ing around.
New Zealander Phil Bur-
rows, one of world’s most
prolific scorers, doesn’t
hesitate to give Gai a huge
hug when they are reunited
from his playing days in
Tasmania.
Even Australia’s
greatest, including Ric
Charlesworth and Jamie
Dwyer, don’t forget Gai too
easily.
‘‘They would know who I
was,’’ she grins, ‘‘if some-
one said the lady from
Tassie, they’d be me.’’
SPORTS DETAILS
TABLE TENNIS
NTTTA
Results for NTTTA Spring 2015 for Round 7
- Team results: Alfa Romeo 8-4 Dodge, Edsel
6-6 Corvette, Ferrari 6-6 Bugatti, Gogomobil
(Bye), Hillman 4-8 Invicta. Individual results: A.
Fry 0-3, A. Katarzynski 2-1, B. Baylis 3-0, B.
Carroll 2-1, B. Ellis 1-2, B. Orchard 1-2, C.
Mendoza 1-2, C. Summers 2-1, D. Clark 2-1,
D. Cramp 3-0, D. Fry 1-2, D. Philpott 2-1, D.
Player 2-1, G. Jones 3-0, H. Cox 1-2, J. Bird
2-1, J. Markos 0-3, J. Summers 2-1, L. Jepps
0-3, M. Cunningham 3-0, P. Dunphy 1-2, S.
Morgan 1-2, S. Murray 0-3, W. Badcock 1-2.
Ladder - Edsel 10, Invicta 9, Gogomobil 8,
Ferrari 7, Hillman 7, Alfa Romeo 6, Corvette 5,
Bugatti 4, Dodge 0. Full results at
www.nttta.org.au
BRIDGE
LAUNCESTON
October 27 — North-South: M. Johnson-H.
Kaplan 62% 1, A. Tieman-G. Smyth 61% 2, N.
Cheetham-K. Platzbecker 58% 3. East-West:
H. Hogan-M. Doyle 58% 1, A. Grant-P. Gelston
56% 2, G. Thurlow-H. Sondermeyer 56% 3.
October 28 — Graded teams final: S.
McCulloch-C. Smith-E. Rigby-D. Bullman 1, S.
Archer-P. Wearne-M. Doyle-M. Johnson 2, S.
Reid-L. Cowan-D. Callahan-I. Callahan 3.
October 29 — S. McCulloch-J. Archer 58%
1, N. Cheetham-R. Lidl 56% 2, R. Clark-M.
Hogarth 52% 3.
October 30 — North-South: R. Clark-M.
Hogarth 59% 1, S. McCulloch-C. Smith 58% 2,
S. Cummins-D. Girvan 57% 3. East-West: E.
Wherry-R. Lidl 66% 1, E. Rigby-D. Bullman
55% 2, N. Stedman-A. De Wit 52% 3.
October 31 — T. Oliver-K. Platzbecker 60%
1, K. Decker-K. Decker 59% 2, R. Clark-B.
Marland 56% 3.
BOWLS
LAUNCESTON INDOOR
Summer pennant, October 28 — Ibis 31 d
Wrens 3, Budgies 20 d Hawks 14, Galahs 24 d
Owls 12, Rosellas 19 d Terns 15, Swallows 20
d Doves 19, Ravens 26 d Parrots 16, Robins 23
d Storks 10.
Best players: A. Westwood, E. Cocker, T.
Talbot, L. Potter, B. Brooks, R. Sulzberger, M.
Powick, D. Clarke, L. Cummings, J. Parsons,
M. Wood, D. Price, L. Brown, B. Cain.
Ladder: Galahs, Rosellas 6, Terns, Budgies,
Ibis, Ravens, Swallows 4, Robins, Hawks 3,
Owls, Wrens 2, Storks, Parrots, Doves.
WEST LAUNCESTON
Carnival results, October 28 — S. Coomer-
K. Booth-R. Simpson-J. Reissig, N. Griffiths-B.
Church-S. McDonald-P. Read.
Jackpot pairs, October 30 — Scott-Peter,
Norm-Bob. No jackpot winner. Jackpot this
Friday $250. Entries to club by 6pm Thursday.
Phone 6331 2026 for details.
NWTWBA
Teams for November 5 — RAILTON —
DIVISION 2 (v Spreyton at Railton) : D. Brown
(s), J. Wall, J. Hessay, S. McGuire; N. Purton (s),
J. Williams, C. Davies, R. Youd; B. Gleeson (s),
B. Hill, M. Cowburn, R. Villa. DIVISION 4 (v Port
Sorell at Port Sorell): V. Jago (s), J. Joy, -, sub;
D. Franks (s), S. Hedditch, sub, T. Sushames;
P. Allford (s), L. Roberts, sub, Emma.
LATROBE — DIVISION 1 (v Burnie at
Latrobe): M. Beaumont (s), S. Beavis, B.
Horton, R. Sims; G. Webb (s), J. Thompson, P.
Shaw, K. Williams (dr); E. Sesara (sc), V. Carey,
S. A. Smith, K. Lamprey. DIVISION 3 (v Burnie
at Latrobe): A. Gaffney (s), K. Knott, C. Perkins,
J. Radford; N. Maney (s), T. Webb, J.
Stevenson, G. Richardson (dr), L. A. King (s), S.
Siely, L. Woolley, C. Monson. DIVISION 4 (v
Ulverstone at Latrobe): M. McCullagh (s), B.
Ritchie, M. Meagher, D. Dent; B. Geeson (s), P.
Abley, sub, W. Dawkins (dr); S. Hiddith (sc), F.
Fair, sub, S. E. Smith. Ump: P. Shaw.
BURNIE — DIVISION 1 (v Latrobe at
Latrobe): A. Brown (s,sc), J. Redman, S.
Siemek, A. Cobbing; C. Purton (s), V. Last, K.
Bramich, V. O’Neill; H. Barker (s), N. Sartori, B.
Wilks, B. Stokes. DIVISION 3 (v Latrobe at
Latrobe): P. Hill (s), L. Rutherford, J. Stewart, S.
Nicolai; A. Eastley (s), G. Cumming, C. West, P.
Davis; M. Hodge (s,sc), L. Gower, sub, M.
Cross.
SMITHTON — DIVISION 1 (v Penguin at
Penguin): C. Pedley (s), D. Woolley, sub, L.
Reid; J. Oates (s), M. Jaeger, sub, S. Crook; K.
Neilson (s), P. Medwin (sc), M. Dixon, S. Enniss.
DIVISION 3 (v Penguin at Penguin): I. Arnold (s),
J. Colgrave, C. Holden, sub; J. Bramich (s), C.
Dunlop, sub; S. Nicholls (s,sc), J. Auld, sub.