Netball club secretary honoured

Judy Skiller was a joint winner of the Lord Mayor’s Award at Wollongong’s Australia Day Awards

When Judy Skiller helped found Helensburgh Netball Club in 1984, it was to create a sport for her daughters. “Because the girls didn’t play soccer or anything then. Someone said, ‘Oh well, stop whingeing and do something about it,” Judy says, laughing. “So we thought, right, we’ll get netball started.”

Almost 40 years later, Judy is still the club secretary and her long service has been honoured by a Lord Mayor’s Award at the 2023 City of Wollongong Australia Day Awards, held on January 20 at City Beach in Wollongong.

“I was very shocked. I couldn’t believe it,” Judy said, of hearing her name announced.

The award recognised her “truly remarkable commitment” and many legacies, including the building of the clubhouse, the installation of lights and the construction of a hard-court surface.

Netball is a game for all ages, which is what Judy loves about it. “It’s so easy for little ones to play, we have five- and six-year-olds … some of our seniors are just amazing, they’re still playing and they’re quite competitive. That’s what I like about it. Anyone can play.”

During her netball career, Judy has played, coached and umpired. Her three daughters still play netball: Kylie Skiller is Helensburgh Netball Club president; Kristy Poole organises club projects and grants; and Donna Gibbons lives at Picton, where her two daughters play netball.

“So I’ve got grandchildren playing,” Judy says.

The Helensburgh club has grown from a couple of teams in its first year of competition in 1985 to 16 teams in 2022. Judy counts coaching a few grand final-winning teams as a highlight.

“To me that’s an achievement for the girls – the girls have worked hard and that’s just the ultimate [achievement].”

Any time Judy has thought of handing over the secretary role, the idea’s been vetoed. “They’d say, ‘But Judy, you know all the people down Illawarra, you know so many people. No, you keep doing it.’

“But I was happy to do it.

“It’s a great club.”

Born in 1951, Judy grew up in Caringbah and moved to Helensburgh 48 years ago, attracted by affordable land, at a time when blocks sold for $6000. Long-time locals may know Judy from the Helensburgh servo. “We used to own the Shell service station uptown. We owned that for 20 years.”

Today, Judy says, “I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”

“I had five children altogether. There was plenty of kids … we had like about 30 kids in the street at one stage, we’re among two cul-de-sacs here, so it’s been fantastic for the kids and they’ve all played different sports and they’ve all been really involved in the community.

“The whole town’s just great. They get behind you, they help you out, doesn’t matter what it is, they’re there. We had a sausage sizzle and we’d run out of sausages and the butcher went over to his shop and got us more sausages.

“You know, things like that. They don’t happen anywhere else.”