By Alesha Capone
Two long-serving members of the Werribee Hockey Club have celebrated playing their 500th game.
Catherine Munro, who joined the club in 1985, marked her 500th game on June 26.
Goalie and field player Rachel Catania, who joined the club in 1990, played her 500th game on June 19.
Munro said she began playing hockey when her older brother and a neighbourhood friend took up the sport.
She was named the 1992 Junior Club Champion and moved up to the women seniors’ team the following year.
She is the team’s captain for 2021.
Munro said she played all her junior seasons at Werribee.
She described Werribee Hockey Club as “my winter family”.
“I just love Werribee Hockey Club, it’s such a family-oriented club, they are so welcoming and all my best friends are part of the club,” she said.
Munro said that her own children, who are now teenagers, spent a lot of time at the club while they were growing up.
Munro said she would like to thank her children for always supporting her to play hockey.
She said that her son and daughter were among the crowd when she ran onto the field for her 500th game.
“I arrived and my brothers and sisters were there, it was a great surprise,” she said.
“I was a bit blown away by that, it was one of the best parts of the day.”
Other Werribee players formed a guard of honour as she ran onto the field for the match.
Munro said she was selected for the state Masters hockey team in 2019, and again last year.
However, the 2020 competition was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Munro said she has her fingers crossed that COVID would not stop her and the others on the Victorian team from competing this year, with a tournament scheduled in Newcastle in September.
