At last weekend’s National Club Championships, a special award was presented in recognition of Megan O’Keefe’s many years of tireless service on behalf of Korfball Australia. For those who are unaware, Megan has been the Korfball Australia Secretary since 2011, and has recently resigned. This tenure includes a stint as Secretary after attempting to resign, only to agree to continue in the role when no other volunteers were forthcoming. This episode alone speaks volumes as to Megan’s work ethic and commitment to Korfball Australia, and is just one of many examples.
As can perhaps be surmised by the lack of volunteers, there have been times in the recent past where the Korfball Australia Board has not been as strong as it could have been. It has largely been due to the outstanding contributions of Megan, sometimes doing the work of many people, that Korfball Australia has been able to continue to move forward, and now finds itself in a much stronger position.
Megan’s contributions to the administrative side of Korfball Australia haven’t all been at the board level either. Since 2012, Megan has also been the tournament director (and often sole organiser) of the National Club Championships. This role has entailed a lot of preparatory work in the lead up to the tournament, but most significantly, requires a huge effort during the tournament to ensure matches run to schedule and to regulation, ensure all results are tabulated, referees are assigned and paid, and a myriad of other tasks. The fact that Megan was able to do this, while also being an active player and referee, is an outstanding achievement.
As has been mentioned, Megan was able to contribute at this high level while still maintaining her playing and referee commitments. However, it was not just at the club level where Megan continued to be involved. Megan was an active member of the National Team program during this time, and also had several forays into refereeing at international tournaments, something which may well be set to continue. The ability to balance all of this, on top of family commitments, is quite remarkable.
Thank you Megan, for your efforts over the years, you will be sorely missed, and you leave some big shoes to fill.
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