Written by Amelia Barnes
Nillumbik Force Netball Association competition director Sue Taylor has never met a volunteer as committed to the sport as Mark Goldspink.
In addition to working full time as a police officer, Goldspink has volunteered for the association for the past 13 years, including the last 10 as president.
“In all of my 40 odd years involved in the sport at many levels, I have never seen someone as dedicated to the administration of the game to ensure that our kids are provided opportunities to play and move along the pathway,” said Taylor.
“He continually goes above and beyond in his volunteer role as president of our association. He spends countless hours at the club rooms ensuring competitions run correctly, he’s involved in meetings with many of our partners and stakeholders and leads our board of management from the front.”
Recognising the many hours Goldspink has given to netball and the Diamond Creek community in Melbourne’s north-east, he was named Volunteer of the Year at the recent Netball Victoria Community Awards.
Goldspink’s key focus as president of Nillumbik Force Netball Association has been the facility upgrade of Diamond Creek’s netball courts.
He developed the association’s first strategic plan in 2016, including a complete rebuild of the grounds to occur within 12 to 15 years, with the aim of making the facility the best in the northern metro area of Melbourne.
Just seven years later, a major redevelopment of the venue now known as Nillumbik Regional Netball Centre is nearing completion - a full five to seven years earlier than anticipated.
These upgrades were made possible through a more than $4 million Victorian Government funding package. Works included the replacement of asphalt courts with eight Netball Victoria-compliant competition courts featuring a Rebound Ace surface, new line marking, shelters for teams, and seating for spectators.
An upgraded pavilion features a new multipurpose social room and office, a kitchen/canteen, and unisex change areas for umpires and players.
Goldspink says there’s “no comparison” between the new facilities and the association’s previous grounds, which had just two female toilets for the 1000 players frequenting the venue every Saturday.
Being president of Nillumbik Force Netball Association is a huge time commitment for Goldspink and his family. During the season, he and his wife spend eight hours at the courts every Saturday, and their three daughters contribute to the association as players, coaches, and umpires.
“You've got rep training on top of that, and you've got rep games on top of that, but I like to go and watch and stay involved in that aspect of it as well,” Goldspink said.
“There’s also a couple of hours a night tinkering around doing some admin stuff and applying for grants - that sort of thing.”
What Goldspink gets out of it is simply the knowledge he’s giving back to the community by enabling children to participate in netball.
“I know that's probably a bit corny and cliched, but it's about having the connections with the kids, and watching them grow not only in a netball sense, but also into adulthood and moving through their lives,” he said.
“It is really rewarding when you are involved in any sort of community sport.”
Goldspink described receiving Volunteer of the Year in Netball Victoria’s 2022 Community Awards as humbling. “When you take on those sorts of roles, you don't look for recognition, although sometimes it's nice to receive… It's really humbling to receive that recognition from Netball Victoria and the wider community.”
He would like to acknowledge the volunteer work of the association’s many other administrators, especially Sue Taylor, who allow Nillumbik Regional Netball Centre to continue operating and evolving.
“It's not just me running the association; there are others that probably spend more time than I do down at netball and it’s those sorts of people you can't do without,” Goldspink said.
The Volunteer of the Year Award is supported by Origin
