IN September 1986 when a group of Bathurst women jumped in a mini bus driven by Keith Hope and headed to Tamworth, they had little idea it was the beginning of a long and special hockey association.
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They were the first side to don the lime green and white of a Bathurst side at a Hockey New South Wales Masters - back then known as veterans - Field State Championships.
The Bathurst team finished runner-up in their division that year, going down in over-time in a game which had to switch fields before its conclusion due to a clash with a with a men's fixture.
Now as Bathurst prepares to host the four-day 2019 full state titles, there will be six teams from the association in the lime green and white, while another outfit from Cowra will also play under its banner.
All up there will be 108 teams from 26 different associations doing battle across 16 divisions. And, quite remarkably, three of Bathurst's 'originals' will be there with stick in hand - Rhonda Harber, Liz Smith and Sandra Hope.
Harber laughs that not a lot has changed since 1986 - aside from things like the modern sticks compared to "the old bananas".
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Certainly the bonds of friendships and the enjoyment she gets are the same - that's why she is still playing as a 70-year-old.
"It's just something that I keep saying I'm not going to play anymore, but each year I keep going back," Harber laughed.
"This year when they said I was eligible to get a purple jumper for being 70, I said 'Well I've got to be there then'.
"I really didn't envisage that I'd be playing for this long. The last three years I kept saying this is my last one, but I think it's just in my blood, my Dad was one of the founders of hockey in Bathurst.
"I just really enjoy the games, I like playing with all the Bathurst girls and against the inter town teams as well. I think there are going to be a lot of girls here, because it's a full state titles we'll have everyone from everywhere. I just love it, it's so much fun."
