Even a battle with stage 3 breast cancer was not enough to keep Brown from volunteering and spending time with people she has come to view as family.

So when Brown was presented with the Hockey NSW 2017 Official of The Year Award – the Mavis Randle and Stan Imer Medal – it was certainly a popular choice.

Messages of congratulations flowed, and while Brown joked that it was “about time”, she said she was surprised to be given the honour.

“It’s tough to get it because there are an awful lot of official volunteers out there and everyone gives their time and energy,” Brown said.

“I guess it’s something that I enjoy personally, so I never expect that recognition. But one of the things that was outlined by NSW Hockey was the fact that even when I was going through the trauma of my cancer the last couple of years, I’ve still gone out and done stuff with them.

“It is a great big family to me.”

Brown got involved as a Hockey NSW official when her daughter Kate was 13 and over the last decade, she has filled numerous roles. She has managed teams, acted as a tournament director and technical official and done it for both field and indoor hockey.

Brown has also volunteered for Hockey Australia roles, but it is those she has fulfilled for her home state which she has most enjoyed.

“I’ve done a little bit of everything across the board I guess in terms of volunteering with Hockey NSW – except from coaching, I don’t coach except from the sideline as a parent,” Brown laughed.

“I’ve done tournament director at an Australian level and I’ve also done judging at that national level. But I don’t think I’ve enjoyed working for Hockey Australia as much as I’ve enjoyed working for Hockey NSW.

“I think Hockey NSW is much more appreciative of the volunteers that they have, where Hockey Australia is more about the elite players.”

During her time as a volunteer, Brown has travelled across Australia and even spent three weeks in England in 2014 when managing the national over 35s women’s side.

She has met a host of people, many of whom have become part of her ‘hockey family’.

“When I started, you know the local people and the people from Lithgow and Orange, but before I even started working for them officially, I started judging on the bench and got to know other people from different associations,” she said.

“Then when I actually took on one of those roles, the amount of people you get to know and the amount of people that actually support you – it’s like a massive family to me.

“There are some lovely people there, I’ve got some very close friends that I’ve had the chance to work with. I’ve got a good relationship with the new CEO Dave Thompson, I just think he’s a lovely guy and has a lot to offer the New South Wales hockey community.”

Just how many acquaintances Brown has made over the years is best highlighted by one story she remembers from a tournament she attended with her daughter Kate.

“I went off to get the lunch box out of the car and I came back an hour and a half later and Kate was like ‘What took you so long?’,” Brown said.

“I said that I just ran into all these people. So it’s just like one big family … for me it’s another part of my family.”

This season Brown will continue to support the hockey community – on a Bathurst level she has taken on the job of Bathurst Women’s Hockey Association vice-president, while she is both an opens and master selector for them as well.

No doubt her list of jobs will grow as the season unfolds, but Brown would not have it any other way.

As always she will not seek any recognition, it will be her passion for the hockey and those involved with the sport which will motivate her.

“I guess some of the Bathurst hockey community probably don’t recognise the amount that I do for them through New South Wales, they are probably not aware of how much I travel away and how much I do,” she said.

“It’s not something I talk about a lot, it’s just part of my life, field hockey and indoor hockey.

“I will continue to do that for a lot of years.”

Still, for those who see Brown down at the Cooke Hockey Complex over the coming months, a quick ‘Thank you’ to a such a dedicated volunteer is something to consider.