The Netball Season commences April 2nd in 2023. The Manly Warringah Netball Association, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015, has over 5000 members and fields 519 Teams in the primary Winter competition.
All of these teams' coaches, managers, referees, committees and grounds markers for matches, those who work to ensure a smooth running of a season from Game 1 to Grand Finals, are volunteers. Alike all of our local Winter Sports, these clubs would not exist without the passion and dedication of the people who put in work before the Season and throughout it - even working long after the last whistle has sounded on Summer training and fun camps and competitions.
A few years ago Cr.s De Luca and Sprott tabled a Motion to Council;
That in recognition of the long service and outstanding work for the people of Frenchs Forest in the area of netball, Council writes to the Geographical Names Board of NSW and associated State Government departments requesting the newly refurbished netball courts at Melwood Oval be named the Margaret Cliff Netball Courts.
In providing background notes they stated;
Margaret Cliff is a Life Member and a stalwart of Forest Netball Club, where she has served for 49 years and is also a current committee member of the Forestville RSL Memorial Playing Fields Committee (formerly a section 534A Local Government Act committee). She has held a position on this Committee in excess of 23 years.
Margaret has also been a valued Executive Member of Manly Warringah Netball Association for in excess of 25 years, retiring this year, but is still an “Active Life Member,” on various subcommittees and looking after the Association’s history. With the recent completion of the new courts at Forestville, the Club’s Committee thought it would be a worthy gesture to acknowledge her for her contribution to both Forest Netball Club and the community. As the “memorial bench” is now out of the question, this motion seeks support to name the netball complex, which is within the boundaries of the Memorial Playing Fields, in her honour, with something along the lines of “The Margaret Cliff Netball Courts”.
‘’I've known Margaret since I was three years old and observed her extraordinary work over the decades.
Her commitment to coaching young and old Netball umpires, to the Forest Netball Club and Manly Warringah Netball Association as an Executive Committee member for over three decades has been outstanding.
Her work for Melwood Oval, its associated Management Committee and tenacity to ensure better facilities for all up there I very much admire. ‘’ – Cr. Vincent De Luca OAM
This week, to sound a first blast for the 2023 Netball Season, a few insights from, about and by a lady who has seen the sport evolve in our area.
Margaret the Forestville War Memorial Playing Field have had their netball courts named The Margaret Cliff Netball Courts in honour of all your work for this sport. When did you first get involved in Netball?
I played at high school, so around 13 years of age, and I played when I first left school. Then in 1970 at Our Lady of Good Counsel School Forestville, the year our youngest daughter Donna was born, all the children had to play so I ended up teaching them how to and that led to competition and everything else.
That was the year our eldest daughter started playing for Forestville Club.
In 1973, my second daughter, who I had coached at school, joined Forest Club and I worked with a team that I brought across from the school to the club. From there, the next daughter, when she started, I coached her, so at some stage I coached all three daughters and all three granddaughters.
Do your girls still have friends they made from those years?
Definitely - Paula, who lives at Curl Curl is still in touch with one of her friends Clare – her mum and dad actually turned up to the naming of the courts ceremony in November 2022 as Paula had told Clare and Clare told them.
And Forest Club is part of the Manly-Warringah Netball Association?
Yes, it was one of the original clubs.
When did the Forestville club start?
I’m a History buff. I look after the archives at the Manly Warringah Netball as an Association, that started in 1966; that’s the official year we go by, and Forest Club was one of the original clubs in the Association. I do the ones [archives] at Warriewood Brook too.
When did you first move to Forestville?
I grew up in Willoughby and we were married in 1958 and we bought the block of land and cleared it and moved in in 1959. It was still bush and they cleared it with one of the original Victa mowers. I still have visions of them clearing the blackberries and similar weeds.
So all your girls went to school at Our Lady of Good Counsel Forestville?
Yes – I have a son and three girls. All our life was lived at Forestville until my husband passed away in 1981.
What are the major changes you have seen at Forestville between 1959 and today?
The main road was just a two-lane road. Forestville shopping centre was only around 6 shops. There was a lot more bush and trees. One fish and chip shop, one bank. I remember the ‘blinking light’ at Wakehurst Parkway – that hasn’t changed very much; I don’t mean the intersection, I mean Wakehurst Parkway.
How did your Netball involvement continue?
As the girls progressed I became involved with the Forestville Club and then that progressed to being involved in the Manly Warringah Netball Association and coaching rep teams and became a rep umpire and joined the executive. I’ve ended up being a Life Member of Forestville Netball Club and Manly Warringah Netball Association.
What are you doing nowadays?
I still work at Manly Warringah netball; still mentor umpires when and if needed. You were speaking before we began taping about ‘Seniors’, well – I refuse to sit down – I’m not an ‘old person’, I may live with old people now but I don’t want to do old things. So I still mentor young umpires; 14, 15 and 16 year olds. This is a wonderful way to be involved with young people – they don’t look upon me as an old fuddy-duddy, they call me ‘Margaret’ and enjoy my sharing my knowledge with them. I stand up there and give them rules and so forth, and they know I know what I’m talking about.
What is so good about netball from your perspective and experience?
For me and my girls it brought us together in a way that none other could have. For instance, coaching them; you’re coaching them and their friends. I thought years ago, and haven’t changed my mind since, that if you’re critical of friends away from sports it’s frowned on, but if I criticized or made a comment about the girls’ friends in the team it was accepted because they knew I knew them as well as they did. So I think it’s brought us together in a way that we wouldn’t have come to in any other way, and with my husbands death, netball was one of the things that was the constant. We went to netball then, and we still go to netball now.
Did you have to go to work to support your family after your husband passed away?
I did so the year after he died. I was determined that things were going to stay as normal as possible that first year. He died on the 1st of March, St. David’s Day. I did the rest of that year normally, and then I went back to work part-time at Forestville Montessori school working in administration.
I first started working in the Commonwealth bank as a 15 or 16 year old during the days when everything was done by hand – so I could still do bookkeeping.
I think I was meant to be a Teacher though – after I’d been in the bank for a few years they started a clerical school for new staff.. They had a computer school for what they called ‘comptometrists’ then. When the clerical school started I was invited to go in there and teach. I can remember working on the blackboard teaching the students how to work out how to charge the interest.
I can remember wearing my gloves to the interview to hide my engagement ring as you had to leave the bank then when you married.
I think I may have been a frustrated Teacher. I was the eldest of five children and always wanted to be a Teacher, but I couldn’t stay at school, I had to leave. And that’s what I like about netball; teaching netball skills to young players and young umpires. It’s the teaching aspect I like – that’s what gives me satisfaction, not winning, but helping others. That contact and that passing on of skills and knowledge is what I enjoy the most.
What skills does netball give girls that they can apply elsewhere?
For umpiring in particular it’s leadership, and I’m sure that helps those who learn this in lots of other ways. I tell them the umpiring is character building, and it is. In this there is conflict resolution at times – on a netball court it’s a smaller area, you will have the court, the sidelines and spectators and the umpire all together at the centre. Sometimes they will overhear comments form the sidelines about their decisions and calls – I tell them to just focus on the game and what they’re doing. This is a different setting for say, a football field – in that context the umpire is way out there and cannot hear comments from the sideline and it will not interfere with what happens in a closer setting as you have in netball – in netball it is right there. So it builds character and a trust in yourself, and leadership.
It also gives you friends for life in many cases and of course fitness – good health and maintaining a healthy body extends into good mental health as much as physical health, and the contact with others builds a social network and understanding of your community as much as your own generation.
The ball skills are great for you – I can still throw and catch a ball, it’s automatic. I do fitness and aqua aerobics and so forth but still being able to throw and catch a ball is great.
I played Walking Netball a few years ago when that was started – that was another new thing for both men and women ‘oldies’. Unfortunately at one game I took part in one of my friends stepped back fell down and broke her hand and that was it for me; I could not stand to be injured and the inactivity that would go with it. I wouldn’t be able to do anything if I broke my hand, so the Walking Netball is good, and a lot of our women who have been playing it are really good players. You don’t lose the skill – there are women in their 50’s 60’s and older who are still good, so it’s great for some.
If you started when you were 13 or 14 and are still involved now at 84, that’s 70 years of dedication to the sport of netball; where does that passion for that one sport stem from?
I think it has something to do with the fact that I’m a disciplined person – if I find something that I like I work on it, and because I shared it with my girls for so long – I coached Paula for something like 40 years – she must have been into her 50’s when she gave it away, that continued it. Then there were the grandchildren and then teaching the younger umpires – I just really enjoy it and keeping fit and keeping my mind active.
Are there as many youngsters doing it now as there were in the past?
It has followed population trends – as a school population rises then decrease then rises again as younger families and people move into the area, so has the netball participation and teams in clubs. We have had more in the past but it remains steady. Part of that is there are so many choices for girls in sports today. Once upon a time it was virtually netball or ballet. Now they can play Australian rules and rugby league and union. There are fluxes in other sports for girls.
Do men play netball?
Yes – and it’s getting more popular among men, and boys too. For a while that was frowned on but now everyone is in on everything together and they are playing. There is a mixed competition that is very popular.
As part of the June 2020 Queens Birthday Honours list you were announced as an OAM ‘For service to netball’ – how did that feel?
I have a story to go with that! When you receive an award like this you don’t know about it until you get an email. I think I got this email during Covid – I read it and thought ‘oh, that’s nice’, and just went on reading the next email. This happened prior to the court naming. The court naming was to be a surprise for my 80th birthday and at that stage Council would only let you name places after people who had died, so that wasn’t happening. So by the time it became apparent that they could and would do it, it was in the middle of Covid lockdowns. I got the email about this the same way and on this instance, I burst into tears. So I don’t know what that says about me, but that’s what happened.
I think my approach with the OAM was that there were people in netball who had done as much as me and more who had not been recognised, as yet. I do know it takes someone to nominate you and do all that paperwork – and we do have quite a few OAM’s in the Manly Warringah Netball Association as there are so many who have done so much for a long time.
I think I was more affected by the naming of the courts as that was a place I’d put so much of myself into and had been around for so long. I’d seen all the development of the park through the War Memorial Committee that runs the whole area, and this has always been a special place for me – another home.
Who attended the ceremony?
My family were all there of course, except the Perth lot, and some friends. This was November 2022 – and was put off and off and off because of Covid. It was a freezing cold day, even though it was November, the wind was blowing a gale.
I like that the sign is quite a low sign and not obtrusive – it’s quite a nice sign. Someone said it should have the OAM on it, but it hadn’t been awarded when this occurred so I explained it should not be there.
So this will be the first Season people will get to play on the Margaret Cliff Netball Courts.
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Dedication ceremony - sign unveiling, November 17, 2022. Photos courtesy Cr. Vincent De Luca OAM
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What are your favourite places in Pittwater and why?
Warriewood. I’ve been in Warriewood and Pittwater for over 30 years now, and remember being here when we voted to secede from Warringah Shire Council. I’m happy where I live in Warriewood, it’s home, a lovely place.
I like Barrenjoey Headland, I like the walk up there, I remember taking my grandchildren up there when they were quite young. I like the view and the comfort I get from being there – along with it being a family place to me, a place where we’ve made great memories.
And of course the netball courts, and why; because they are part of the Forestville War Memorial Playing fields, and that is a dedicated War Memorial. I was on the committee when the old soldiers started that – if they could see what is available there today, I think they’d be delighted. This was in the 1960’s when Killarney was still bushland; they were able to get this dedicated as a War Memorial and cleared the land; there was just netball courts and a rugby field. They wanted a Memorial dedicated to their friends who didn’t return from war and they wanted a living Memorial for use by the youth of the area today and for the future.
Recently part of this was Dedicated as Purple Poppy park for all the animals who have served in conflicts. So there is Poppy park which has a red sculpture that the kids play with and there is also an off leash dog park and the RSL came up with the idea of dedicating that as the Purple Poppy dog park. That’s perfect as it fits in with the red poppies.
What is you ‘motto for life’ or a favourite phrase that you try to live by?
I accept things that I can’t change – if something has happened, get on with it. That was my philosophy when my husband died in 1981. I got cancer in 2000 out of the blue, and look at me today – major surgery, six months of chemo, and it was very much then a case of ‘I can’t change it, just get on with it, and keep on with the netball’.
My Catholic faith is very important to me – I think my faith and my netball are what got me through losing David and then surviving cancer.
I go to Mass several mornings of a week – I go to Mona Vale Scared Heart church.
Notes - Further
Our thanks to Kevin and Glenys Murray and Joe Mills who were not only co-interviewers during the Profile process but also introduced Pittwater Online staff to Margaret and provided the opportunity to celebrate this stalwart of women’s Netball and community. Known at Warriewood Brooks’ café as ‘Margaret’s boys’, they met when visiting for coffee and cake one morning. The café is on Macpherson street in Warriewood. Margaret has lived at Warriewood Brook for 13 years after moving 7 blocks from a townhouse in Warriewood to this then new home. Kevin and Joe were testing out all the coffee venues in the Warriewood – Narrabeen area. Margaret likes to go there and sit in one of the armchairs in what she calls ‘cosy corner’ and one day the boys ventured in and joined in.
Joe explains; what’s wonderful about it is that it was a well-kept secret and there’s these beautiful lounge chairs you can sit in. Most of the crowd are locals and a good way to find out what’s going on. So here you have these great lounge chairs, this quiet corner, and nice people to talk to.
Kevin: do you realise Joe you have just split the beans to the editor of a local rag who will now let everyone know about our local place for coffee. A: please, disguise the name.
A: fine – we’ll call it ‘the noisy corner with really bad coffee and terrible cakes, don’t go there’.
Glenys Murray: they have ended up going there so often they are now known as ‘Margaret's Guys’ and everyone thinks that we all live there.
Kevin: no, we’re known as ‘Margaret’s boys’. I was doing a talk for U3A at Pittwater RSL and arrived a little bit early to set up, as you do, and then was waiting ion the back row to start when one of the women also waiting tapped me on the arm and said ‘are you one of Margaret’s boys?’ - they were all from Warriewood Brook. I said ‘yes’.
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Photo: ‘Margaret’s Boys’
Mrs Margaret Ethel CLIFF
Award Medal of the Order of Australia
Post-Nominal OAM
Date Granted 7th of June, 2020
State NSW
Suburb Warriewood
Postcode 2102
Citation For service to netball.
Manly Warringah Netball Association
- Grading Convenor, current.
- Umpire Mentor, current.
- Assistant Secretary, 1996-2018.
- Minute Secretary, 1994-1995.
- Umpires Convenor, 1990-1992.
- Carnival and Fixtures Secretary, 1986-1988.
- Former Committee Member.
- Life Member.
Forest Netball Club
- Former Umpire's Convenor, 8 years.
- Former Coach.
- Former Administrator.
- Former Grader.
- Volunteer, since 1973.
- Life Member.
New South Wales Netball Association
- Panel Member, Anne Clarke Outstanding Service Award, 2015-2017.
Community
- Former Secretary, Forestville RSL War Memorial Playing Fields Community Committee.
Awards and recognition include:
- Anne Clarke Outstanding Service Award, 2007.
- Australian Sports Medal, 2000.
Announcement Event: The Queen's Birthday 2020 Honours List
Ms Margaret CLIFF
Award Australian Sports Medal
Date Granted 18th of August, 2000
Citation Coach & organiser of local & district teams (all ages) since 1971. Life Member M/Waringah Netball Ass
Award ID 973898
Manly Warringah Netball Association: Margaret Cliff OAM
June 8 2020
Congratulations to Margaret Cliff on being awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queens' Birthday Honours List in recognition of her outstanding service to Netball since 1970.
Margaret became involved in the Catholic Schools' netball section in 1970 and held positions of Secretary, Gala Day Convenor, Registrar and Umpires’ convenor.
In 1970 she also joined the Forest Club. In 1973 Margaret commenced coaching Forest Club teams and would coach all three daughters and all three granddaughters over the next 5 decades.
Since joining Forest Club, Margaret has been its backbone, holding numerous Executive Committee positions such as Vice President, Umpires' Convenor and Grading Convenor.
By 1979 she was heavily involved with coaching Manly Warringah Junior Representative teams, as a "B" badged umpire has also served as a representative team umpire and in 1986 was elected to the MWNA Executive Committee as Carnival Secretary, then served from 1990, then Minute Secretary from 1998 and Assistant Secretary from 2000 until her retirement at the end of 2018 from the Executive Committee.
Margaret has still remained an integral part of MWNA as the Grading Sub Committee Convenor, a member of the Representative Umpires' Appointments Panel and Governance Sub Committee. Margaret also has continued her devotion to coaching and mentoring umpires.
In honour of Margaret's outstanding service to Netball she has been bestowed Life Membership of the Forest Netball Club, Manly Wartingah Netball Association and the Netball NSW Anne Clark BEM outstanding service award.
The Forest Netball Club Committee has requested Council consider changing the name of the newly refurbished netball courts at Forestville War Memorial playing fields (known as Melwood Oval) to ‘The Margaret Cliff Netball Courts’ to acknowledge Margaret Cliff OAM for her contributions to both Forest Netball and the community.
Margaret Cliff OAM is a Life Member and a stalwart of Forest Netball Club, where she has served for 49 years and is also a current committee member of the Forestville RSL Memorial Playing Fields Committee (formerly a section 534A Local Government Act committee). She has held a position on this Committee for over 23 years.
Margaret has also been a valued Executive Member of Manly Warringah Netball Association for more than 25 years before retiring this year and is still an Active Life Member on various subcommittees.
In 2007 Margaret was awarded an Anne Clarke Service Award by NSW Netball for her significant contribution to netball at an Association level.
On 8 June 2020 Margaret was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. The Honours List recognises achievements and contributions made by individuals who demonstrate the values that Australians hold dear – ‘Compassion, service, excellence, dedication, courage, kindness and equality’ – Governor General.
The Margaret Cliff Netball Courts
Warriewood resident Margaret Cliff has had the Netball Courts at Forestville named after her. She also was recently presented with an OAM for her services to Netball Australia
Council Notes:
ITEM 15.4 NOTICE OF MOTION NO 48/2019 - RECOGNITION FOR NETBALL AND COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION TRIM FILE REF 2020/021947 – February 2020 ATTACHMENTS NIL Submitted by: Councillor Stuart Sprott; Vincent De Luca OAM (Originally submitted to the 26 November 2019 Council meeting) MOTION That in recognition of the long service and outstanding work for the people of Frenchs Forest in the area of netball, Council writes to the Geographical Names Board of NSW and associated State Government departments requesting the newly refurbished netball courts at Melwood Oval be named the Margaret Cliff Netball Courts.
BACKGROUND FROM COUNCILLOR STUART SPROTT; VINCENT DE LUCA OAM
Margaret Cliff is a Life Member and a stalwart of Forest Netball Club, where she has served for 49 years and is also a current committee member of the Forestville RSL Memorial Playing Fields Committee (formerly a section 534A Local Government Act committee). She has held a position on this Committee in excess of 23 years. Margaret has also been a valued Executive Member of Manly Warringah Netball Association for in excess of 25 years, retiring this year, but is still an “Active Life Member,” on various subcommittees and looking after the Association’s history. With the recent completion of the new courts at Forestville, the Club’s Committee thought it would be a worthy gesture to acknowledge her for her contribution to both Forest Netball Club and the community. As the “memorial bench” is now out of the question, this motion seeks support to name the netball complex, which is within the boundaries of the Memorial Playing Fields, in her honour, with something along the lines of “The Margaret Cliff Netball Courts”.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER REPORT
In accordance with Council’s Code of Meeting Practice Clause 4.15(a) I offer the following report on this matter to assist Council in the deliberation of this motion: A plaque will cost approximately $1,500. This can be funded from the Parks Budget, subject to meeting the requirements of the “Naming our Reserves, Roads and Facilities Policy”.
Council: We have a new name - The Margaret Cliff Netball Courts
At its meeting on Tuesday 27 October 2020 Council resolved to name the netball courts at the Forestville War Memorial Playing Fields 'The Margaret Cliff Netball Courts' in recognition of her community contribution to netball. View the Council minutes, item 13.3, pg. 14. Community engagement has now concluded. Thank you for your interest.
The old Blinking Light intersection. Note the `silent cop' under the light. The intersection of Warringah Rd and Wakehurst Parkway at Frenchs Forest is now a bustling precinct that has become the busiest road junction on the northern beaches.
Recent roadworks have transformed it into a multi-lane thoroughfare with four lanes of Warringah Rd now in a “slot” carrying through traffic heading east to west. But for generations of peninsula residents the intersection was known as The Blinking Light after a hazard light was suspended over the middle of the junction in 1952 to alert night motorists they were approaching an intersection, which had been the scene of multiple high speed collisions.
Photo November 8, 1960 - Blinking Light installed 1952 above Warringah Road and Wakehurst Parkway, Frenchs Forest.
The Blinking Light quickly became a local landmark and was not replaced by traffic lights until 1966.
In November 2018, the NSW Government officially named the intersection The Blinking Light.
Photo courtesy Roads and Maritime Services.
