Paula Cary has been etched into Ovens and Murray League history in the Hall of Fame and has a netball court and medal named in her honour.
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But for the skilled defender, it's the collective netball success of North Albury that she's found to be most rewarding.
The Border Mail's Georgia Smith caught up with the Hopper through and through at her beloved Bunton Park.
Georgia Smith: How did you come to play at North Albury?
Paula Cary: The first season Ovens and Murray netball started I was working Saturday mornings, so I didn't play at the start of the season. I knew the group that was there from basketball and they asked if I could come and play the second half of the season. It was just to qualify so that they had someone in defence for finals because two of the girls were going off to basketball. I said "yeah, why not." My husband had always been a North Albury supporter, so it was just natural.
GS: Do you think having a basketball background helps with netball?
PC: I think it does definitely. Netballers can quite often have tunnel vision. They turn, look and want to pass, where as a basketballer turns, looks and takes the whole court into perspective. Therefore they can pinpoint passes. The only thing with some basketballers is they have what we call the 'basketball step', because they take that one extra step. We've had a lot of basketballers play at North Albury. We've proved with 27 premierships over all four grades that you've got to embrace the basketball players. Out of our A-grade premiership teams there wouldn't have been many who wouldn't have played basketball as well.
GS: In A-grade you went on to play over 300 games and win four premierships?
PC: The best two were with my daughter (Ashton). It was very exciting to be able to do that. We'd lost the first three and then we won one. To get that first O and M premiership was pretty good. Then I had one in B-grade. Ashton and I swapped positions, so she went into A-grade and I went to B-grade.
GS: Your first A-grade game came later in life?
PC: I was 33. I played out at Jindera for quite a few years and played at Brocklesby. I used to always wish there was O and M games then, but there wasn't. Once it started in 1993 that was the first time I played. Most people are retiring by then.
GS: You continued until you were 50?
PC: I stopped O and M at 50 but I was still playing at the stadium on a Monday night.
GS: Were you pretty lucky with injuries?
PC: Since I first started playing sport I've done my ankle twice, a calf muscle once, had my nose broken and a tooth knocked out. Most of my injuries were from basketball. When I did my calf that was netball, but that's about it since I was about seven.
GS: What was it like seeing the Hoppers' netball court named in your honour?
PC: I had no idea that was happening. We were having the opening on the court and Peter Dempsey was here and he flipped it and I've just gone, "oh my god." I couldn't believe it, I didn't expect it at all. We did a lot of fundraising for it. With Pauline O'Kane and her husband Brendan we raffled off a Harley-Davidson and Brendan sold so many tickets. One of the fellas from the club, Pricey, showed us how to do the retaining wall, so we were in there doing that too.
GS: Your name's also associated with the A-grade grand final best on court medal?
PC: You don't expect these things and that was another one. I was president for the O and M for 12 years and then when I decided to step down I left the committee. I thought it was time for new blood and Tamara Mathews took over and has done a great job. A year or two later they came up with that idea.
GS: You were also inducted into the O and M Hall of Fame in 2017?
PC: I get very embarrassed by those things but it was special. To have friends there to celebrate with was really nice.
GS: You were the third netball inductee after Lindy Singleton-Burgess and Tracy Gillies, would you like to see more netballers inducted?
PC: There will be. I was quite surprised that netballers got in that early because footy has been going since 1933. To actually have netballers in it by 2015, we'd only been going from 1993. So to get netballers in it in such a short span, I thought it would have been longer.
GS: Being a defender, who were some of the toughest goalers you played against?
PC: Over the years there has been plenty. Steph Tyrell was probably the standout. I still remember one game when we'd gone down there and she was only 14. Because I was so much older I couldn't bring myself to take to the court that day because she was such a young kid. I thought if I bump her or anything they're going to hate me even more than they already do. It was the first time I would have played against her and she went on to be very impressive. Some of the goalers might not have been as strong, but when they had someone strong feeding them, they were impossible to play against. Jacqui Kilmartin played in a premiership for Lavington and I played on her. She was a really good player, but she also had Liona Edwards feeding to her on that particular day. I also played against Bridget Cassar when she was really young.
GS: You've also had some good teammates over the years?
PC: Unbelievable teammates. Fiona Boyer has been inspirational. North Albury wouldn't be the club it is without having her because she came with so much knowledge. I was coaching and I thought, she knows more than me, let's ask her if she wants to coach.
GS: Did you always think you would coach?
PC: Not really. I think it was 1998 and they had no one to coach so I took on that and then Fiona came. You just got moved into that role. Being one of the older ones, I just took that responsibility.
GS: You have also coached O and M representative teams?
PC: I've coached the open and 17s, but not all the time. Rep netball is fantastic because it breaks down the barriers between clubs. They all mix in together and play with each other and realise, wow, she's really nice, as opposed to playing against her and thinking, I don't like her. I think it's very exciting and very important to have rep netball.
GS: You had a few interesting bonding strategies?
PC: Fiona introduced team games and some of them have been funny. One year Fiona said you had to put your netball knicks and bra that you wear on the court into a bag and someone had to find whose was whose. That was hilarious sitting there watching that with the girls going, "this has got two bras in it." People have special things that they wear, like the same bra every game. It just breaks down more barriers between players from different clubs.
GS: You've had some other funny moments at Bunton Park?
PC: One day the netty players noticed the netball goal post was rusted at the base and we got someone from the football club to fix it before the next game. Even I know you can't weld rust, but he who will remain anonymous welded the rust. During the game I was out of play and realised the shot was going to miss, so I charged in to get the rebound. I got the rebound but also hit the goal post and knocked it over. We had to finish the game at JC King Park. No doubt I got quite a few unsavoury nicknames after that game.
GS: Are there any standout players you've seen come through the club?
PC: Jacqui Newton has been absolutely amazing and is just the most delightful girl. She's gone on to be registered with the Vixens and has now gone to Collingwood. Nakita Singe was down in Melbourne as well and Breda O'Kane has played a fair bit of state netball.
GS: North Albury has a good track record for developing young talent?
PC: When Ashton was getting into netball she said, "I don't want to play at the stadium, I want to play for Hoppers." I said "you can't darl, you're too young. Why don't we put a team in at the stadium and we'll call you the Hoppers." That's how our junior program started. When Pauline O'Kane was here with her girls they had teams. At one stage on a Monday night we had Hoppers Green, Hoppers Gold, Hoppers Juniors and Little Hoppers. Not all of the players were associated with North Albury, but they were in teams that a North Albury person was in. Once 16s came in it made it harder because it started earlier, so you couldn't do as much coaching at the stadium on a Saturday morning.
GS: Is it good to see under-17s getting the opportunity to play O and M netball now?
PC: I wasn't really in favour of it at the start but we embraced it and it's been great. We'll just see what happens in the next few years.
GS: Do you hope North Albury can continue to attract strong young players to the club?
PC: Hopefully in years to come the ones who are still playing now and have daughters will come through. Between Bree Kirk, Kirby Hilton, Alana Wilson and Tamika Wholohan, they have quite a few daughters. I think it will hold us in quite good stead getting them back involved.
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GS: Have you seen O and M change over the years?
PC: The game not so much, but the professionalism of each club has changed hugely. In the early days you'd rock up to training and do next to nothing and now the training is structured. Having to have primary care, managers and all of those things that Netball Victoria has enforced is a change. Even the courts and facilities have changed. The game has got more strategic as opposed to just getting out there and doing your best with your natural ability. In the early days that was what everyone did.
GS: Did you find it hard dedicating so much time to netball?
PC: Having a great husband has helped. We were laughing about how we were going to get through lockdown and I said to him, "you'll find someone on the couch and then you'll realise you're married to her," because I was home all the time. Tony is great, you couldn't ask for a better husband. I had Ash before I started playing O and M and took six weeks off when I had Kristian. The kids and Tony would always be here while I was playing. Kristian would come and say "can I have some money mum?" But he already had some from his dad. We soon worked out he was double-dipping.
GS: Plan to continue coaching?
PC: I was going to coach last year in B-grade with Maddie Pearson, just to give some of the younger girls some help. Prior to that I coached 16s for a couple of years. Wherever they've needed a coach I've filled that job. In 2021 I'm stepping aside a little from coaching to help run the club, so I'll be doing the rosters for the bar and food inside. I'll still be around, but I might not be at the netball court as much.
GS: Netball's been your life?
PC: It's been my life for a long time and now my grandchildren are my life. Archie and Violet are just absolutely divine.
GS: Proud of the club's netball success?
PC: Over the years, you have to be. With 27 premierships and so many best and fairest winners, I'm very proud of the club. I'll be North Albury through and through.