MAREE Thompson is a shining example of a Wimmera resident devoted to her community.
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The sport superstar is one of two people to receive the 2019 Horsham Rural City Council Citizen of the Year award. Mrs Thompson shares the honour with Jeff Pekin.
“I feel very honoured. I’m not really sure that I fit the bill to be honest. When I got told, I was extremely taken aback,” she said.
“A friend nominated me and she had spoken to the clubs I’m involved with about what I had done.”
Mrs Thompson has been involved with Pimpinio Football Netball Club her whole life.
“I’m a Pimpinio girl. The deal was when I got married that we would stay with Pimpinio and I would go into Horsham to play tennis,” she said.
“Both my husband Brett and myself are involved with the junior side of it. I’m hoping to reach 350 netball games this year. I had actually retired and then I came back to play last year to play with my daughter in the C Reserve – and we won.
“Now I just have to get to 350 and I’m going back into retirement. I’ve been on the committee, I’ve coached and I was netball president years ago.”
Mrs Thompson has run junior programs for her netball club for a number of years.
“This year I’m coaching under 13s and C Reserve. Then I just volunteer to do things – like any other person who is involved in a club,” she said.
“I don’t expect any recognition. I just know that if clubs want to survive, we all need to put our hands up and help out, which makes it that little bit easier. If we lose our football club, then we pretty much lose our community – we need to keep our little towns going.”
For the last four years Mrs Thompson has run the junior tennis program for Horsham Lawn Tennis Club.
“Seeing the kids grow has been great. We had a lull a while back, but we’re slowly getting our numbers up again,” she said.
Mrs Thompson and her husband Brett have four children – Dylan, 15, Tahlia, 13, and twins Ella and Paige, 11. She has volunteered her time at Horsham College and Horsham Primary School’s 298 campus.
“This is our last year with 298. The school knows that if they ever need a hand, they can ask me and I’ll try to fit it in. Then at the college, I volunteer in the canteen,” she said.
As a lifelong Wimmera resident, Mrs Thompson said she loved living in a close-knit community.
“If you’re in need, everyone pulls in and helps out. Even if it’s someone you don’t know, people always pull together and help them out which is what I love about Horsham,” she said.
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