MCN president Karla Newlands was acknowledged with a life membership.Two titans of netball in Mid Canterbury were honoured this week following years of longstanding service.

Mid Canterbury Netball (MCN) president Karla Newlands and veteran umpire Wendy Hopwood both received accolades at Monday’s MCN annual general meeting.

After a 25-year contribution to the local netball community, Newlands was presented with a MCN Life Membership Award.

It is the latest of numerous honours received during a decorated tenure within the organisation.

It is also a significant swansong for Newlands, with this week’s meeting her final act as MCN president.

She has been president of the organisation for the past six years and has been on the board for more than a decade.

It is understood that former Silver Fern Angela Mitchell will be stepping into the role of president accordingly.

Local netball insiders say that she has done an outstanding job as president, making tough decisions with the best interests of the Centre always at heart.

She was at the helm as the local game successfully transitioned from playing outdoors to a new look set of competitions at the EA Networks Centre.

Along with the life membership award, Newlands has been awarded the Mareen Cunneen Trophy twice, received a Fair Play Award at the Sports Awards, has been nominated for a Sport Canterbury Volunteer gong, the Old Collegians Cup, and has won awards through Netball New Zealand for Administrator of the Year, and a NNZ Service Award.

Wendy Hopwood received a MCN service award.Hopwood meanwhile received a MCN Service Award following a 22-year stint as an umpire.

In 2001, she passed her local level 3 practical exam and New Zealand theory parts A and B, the same year she became a local umpire examiner

Two years later she was invited to be a member of the Canterbury Umpire Development Squad.

Beyond her top billing as a local netball official, Hopwood has umpired at New Zealand Age Group Championships, umpired a Flames v Rebels National Bank Cup game along with competition curtain raisers and officiated at New Zealand Secondary School tournaments.

A member of the umpire committee since 1999, she has previously been awarded the Leech Cup for Senior Umpires and won a Sport Mid Canterbury Volunteer trophy.

By Adam  Burns © The Ashburton Guardian - 11 December 2020