We’d like to acknowledge Fay Freeman, an absolute stalwart of North Harbour Softball Association who has recently called time on her role as one of NHSA’s longest serving Board Members.

Fay has been involved with our association since 1981 and over those 42 years, has carried out a number of different roles, initially coming on board as NHSA’s secretary, being elected onto the Board as Chair in 2014 continuing in this role until 2018, and since then, she’s been dedicating an enormous amount of her hours as a Board Member until she stepped down last month.

For her outstanding contribution to NHSA, Fay was awarded a service award in 1993 and Life Membership in 2013, an accolade she shares with some of our association’s most dedicated members, including her husband Don.

Fay has been a trailblazing wāhine toa – in 2001/2 she made NHSA history being named Manager of the Softball New Zealand White Sox, an achievement which has never been repeated by another NHSA member.

And she didn’t stop there. Fay joined the World Governance Committee in 2010 and in 2011, was made a Director of the 2013 Softball World Cup hosted at Rosedale Park. Nine years later, Fay Co-Chaired the Men’s pinnacle softball tournament when NHSA hosted the World Cup once again last year - a tournament which couldn't have gone ahead without her tireless efforts.

Although Fay has occupied leadership positions at the highest level of the game, she’s always been a staunch Northcote Softball supporter at heart serving on the club’s committee and undertaking the Club Secretary role, a position she still holds today.

We’ll certainly miss Fay’s invaluable governance experience as she departs the Board but we look forward to many more years of seeing her around Rosedale Park.

Article added: Monday 15 May 2023