Excerpts taken from the 60th anniversary booklet by Molly Dorne

The earliest record of basketball (as it was known) in Horowhenua goes back to 1921 at the Levin District High School.  Miss G Armstrong, recently out of university, encouraged the girls to participate in the sport.  The teachers and girls marked a court on grass by turning over with spades the sod to mark the lines.  The first game against a visiting team in Horowhenua was the Levin District High School A v Palmerston North Girls High School A in 1922, at Levin.

Muriel Saulbrey nee Vincent

Muriel passed away last week and will be greatly missed by Netball Horowhenua.

Muriel started playing netball when it was 9-a-side basketball and you had to stay in your own third of the court. She played C then GA at Levin primary School and Reps, then for Horowhenua College and also for the Victoria University Team.

Muriel had a year in the Graduate Section of Auckland Training College with time in the Auckland Rep Team. The following year she moved to teach at Hawera High School for 4 years, playing, coaching, referring and on the Executive.

Muriel then moved home to Levin when she was 26 and still runs her parents farm at the age of 79 and each and every Saturday she still comes to the netball courts to help out on the public address and discuss information with anyone who comes upstairs.

Muriel was the President of Netball Horowhenua for 22 years – in 1957, from 1961-1969, and from 1973-1984 and Vice President in 1960 and 1972. She is also still an active member of the Executive Committee.

Muriel has played netball, coached netball and managed netball over the years and was made a Life Member in 1984 for “Loyalty and long service, a gracious and patient administrator. She has achieved much, in a quiet, gentle way”.

Earlier she has received one of the first Netball Horowhenua Merit Service Awards in 1979.

Muriel was on the 60th Jubilee Committee 1991. It was also under Muriel’s Presidency that the Donnelly Park Courts & Pavillion were built. Muriel and the Executive raised debentures to pay for Netball Horowhenua’s new and excellent facilities. The Council provided the land, Muriel wants to make special thanks to then Mayor Jack Bolderson for his great help getting the courts up and running.

With such a great amount of netball still to be played and organised in the Horowhenua, we are pleased to have Muriel here to keep us on our toes and be with us for the future.