The Werribee Hockey Club has bid a fond farewell to life member Allan Purcell, who passed away on May 22.
Mr Purcell was associated with the club for more than 34 years.
The club issued a notice paying tribute to Mr Purcell last week, describing him as “an outstanding member”.
“Allan has valiantly battled health issues for many years now, however still found time to attend our home games and cheer on the teams – no matter what the weather,” said the notice, which was sent to club members.
“He was a much-loved and respected member of our hockey family.”
During his lifetime, Mr Purcell undertook numerous roles at the club including as a player, coach, president, vice president, men’s convenor, club historian and secretary.
He served on the club’s committee for at least 15 years and helped, along with a handful of other members, to get the club’s first synthetic pitch installed.
The notice said Mr Purcell would also be greatly missed by his wife Heather and three children, Mark (a former play with the club and also a life member), Andrew (a player and Premiership coach) and Brooke (an ex-player), and their families.
The notice thanked Heather for supporting Mr Purcell in all that he did for the club.
“Allan loved Werribee Hockey Club and thought of it as his second home,” the document said.
“All he wanted was for the club to succeed.”
