It isn’t easy starting a community all on your own. But it is another thing altogether to start that community and then selflessly invest in your labour of love for decades without any expectation of return.
Deb Turner, President of the Gregory Hills Netball Club, is one such figure. Forming the Gregory Hills Netball team some four years ago, Deb has been a cornerstone of Gregory Hills’ local sporting community ever since.
Deb is no stranger to the world of netball, having started her first team in Wollondilly around 40 years ago. As the growth of the Macarthur area brought more and more young families into the area, Deb saw a need for Gregory Hills to start its own team.
“We’re currently in our fifth year,” beamed Deb in a recent interview with the Gregory Hills team. “We started Gregory Hills Netball Club because we saw an opportunity for growth within the sport with all the young families moving into the area.”
Her suspicions were certainly correct as the Gregory Hills Netball Club has blossomed, growing year on year to include a diverse club of over seven teams featuring players of all ages. As many of the original members still take to the court each season, the experience has been incredibly rewarding for Deb and the rest of club.
“To watch these kids come in at a young age and develop, I just love it,” beams Deb. “I’m so passionate and I love to see them succeed.”
Putting the ‘community’ in the Gregory Hills community
The efforts of local champions like Deb Turner have helped make Gregory Hills a true-blue Australian community in many senses, as players and their families come together for the mutual enjoyment of hardcourt sport. Such observations are certainly not lost on Deb, or the broader Gregory Hills Netball Club community, as they celebrate the communal benefits of their sporting achievements.
“We have grown into a very friendly, very dedicated group of mums, dads [and] kids. We’ve got our own community: the Gregory Hills Netball Club community.”
The benefits of sports for community and a healthy lifestyle are no secret to Australians, as more and more investment pours into the promotion of an active lifestyle with campaigns such as 2018’s Move It Aus campaign.
“Gregory Hills Netball Club is very important with both young and old,” Deb explains. “They get out, they get fit, they make new friends.”
2019 and beyond in Gregory Hills
With the 2019 season now underway, the Gregory Hills Netball Club are bullish about their prospects. Deb invites everyone in the Gregory Hills area to come down, join a team and be a part of their incredible journey toward sporting greatness.
The Gregory Hills Netball Club is just one of the many incredible initiatives being driven by motivated people like Deb Turner. With the opening of Cunningham Park at Gregory Hills, a stampede of healthy-minded residents are making the most of the state of the art facilities.
If netball doesn’t swish your net, then visit our blog again in the coming months as we feature more of the awesome sports teams and fitness fanatics who are making Gregory Hills a happy, healthy community.
Since 2009, Gregory Hills has been delivering on a vision of community, with the benefits of our work now coming to fruition. Everyday more and more people are meeting in and moving to Gregory Hills because it is an established community with a multitude of amenities such as sports facilities, well-appointed parks (including a dog park) and its very own Town Centre. For more information on our available land, simply head to our masterplan now or get in touch via phone, email or our contact form.