Yesterday the European Hockey family lost one of it’s members.
Jane Nockolds sadly lost her long battle with cancer. Jane will be remembered first and foremost as a larger than life character, with a ready quip or action to make us laugh. She was a world-class umpire, officiating at the World Cup in Utrecht and Champions Trophies in Amsterdam, Macau and Sydney. Jane then moved into umpire managing, again achieving the highest possible level. It was in this role that she went to the Beijing Olympics and then to the World Cup in Rosario.
Before her passing, she sent a message to the hockey umpiring family, who had ensured that Jane and her partner, Sarah, had one final trip when they holidayed in South Africa before the global pandemic hit, Jane said “I want them to know how extraordinary they have been, what a difference they have made for Sarah and me, and how words will never be enough.”
RIP Jane
Thanks to Margaret Hunnaball for sharing these words and photographs with us.
