Heroes of Hockey I Belinda O'Reilly

KalaHockey is one of the many family-oriented hockey clubs in WA, and its volunteers are proud of the club it is becoming. Last week, we heard from vice president Leighton Keane who expressed his love for the club, and the second vice president Belinda ‘BJ’ O’Reilly feels exactly the same way. She began her hockey journey in WA’s North and moved over East before coming to Perth and falling in love with Kalahockey and the people at the association.

“I can't remember a time that hockey wasn't part of my life.

I was dragged down to hockey on the sidelines from as young as I can remember.

In Newman,  hockey was always on Sunday afternoons and our fields were on the edge of stormwater drains, this is where all the kids used to play in while the senior hockey was going on. 

My Mum and Dad got into hockey by their friends when they moved to Newman in their 20's. 

Sport was huge in Newman and all the times were set so that you could pretty much play all the sports you wanted.

AFL was on Saturdays, Hockey was on Sundays etc. 

Mum very quickly became heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the club. 

There was night hockey on rubber bowls fields and tennis courts in the summer and winter hockey on the grass.

Mother’s Day was always a hockey day. 

As I got older my Mum started to run the Minkey program.

It was pretty tough to get off the ground as there were a lot of sports to compete with and only two primary schools so we didn't have a junior competition as such. 

The nearest towns to us were four hours drive away so we couldn't really combine.

So you just went from Minkey or playing around on Sunday mornings to working in the canteen and then finally you were allowed to run on the field with the seniors when you turned 12.

Umpiring courses were mandatory back then and I was a badged umpire by the time I was 15. 

Country Week was always our favourite event of the year when you got to travel to Perth and play hockey on the turf and it was very exciting to be at PHS.

At one stage I got to play in the same team as my Mum and my sister an experience that I am sad I couldn't share with my boys, but the summer hockey programs here in Perth have allowed me to do that.   

I met my best friend Jodi Fitzgerald - former president of Kalahockey - all those years ago and we now both play and are heavily involved [at our club].  

It was a really great environment and the atmosphere and culture at Kalahockey really reminds me of how it was back then.

When I met my now husband Phil, my first son Rory and I moved to Mackay.

Phil and I got married and had our second son Patrick.

I found that I was really missing hockey, so I found a club to play with over there. 

I fell pregnant with our 3rd son Shaun and after five years we returned to WA settling in Lesmurdie.

Knowing I couldn't miss another season of hockey I very quickly investigated the closest club to Lesmurdie and was put into contact with our now life member Tricia Lovell - super mum to our ex-Kookaburra Tyler Lovell.

I fell in love the club the minute I stepped out on the ground for my first game.  Shaun was only three months old, and it was breastfeeding at half time.

When I joined the club, we had two ladies teams playing in the hills and I didn't even know the men's teams existed as we were never at the club at the same time.

As my boys got older and Patrick got to be Minkey age then I started to get involved in the Minkey and a bit of committee stuff, trying to join the gap between the Minkey kids and the other parts of the club.

I have coached from 2008 through until last year when I saw my 11/12 boys team play in A Promotion.

I have been on the committee for more than 10 years through various roles, registrar and then onto my most rewarding role of Junior Coordinator.

Working alongside Richard Guthrie whose vision and execution of junior participation and development has seen our junior teams grow from four mixed teams - two 5/6, one 7/8 & one 9/10 C team -  to 11 teams last year. 5 of those are girls teams through all the year groups and various grades.

Last year I took up the role of ladies threes coach, it was a very challenging year with coaching the 11/12 AP boys and ladies threes, Junior Coordinator, Team Manager for the men's twos - always supporting my boys - but I just really love the game, love to see my kids play, love to see new kids take it up, new ladies take it up and most of all I just love this club.   

This year I have moved into a newly created role of a second Vice President alongside Leighton Keane to support our amazing President Kim Hortin.

I am really excited to take on this role that will predominately see me supporting our women's teams and our juniors.  I will also coach our newly entered fifth ladies team this year.

Wow from 2 teams to 5, what a great time to be part of this club.  

We are also working hard to get a synthetic surface at Hartfield at our new fields with our great purpose-built hockey facility.

I love seeing a teeny tiny kid put their Kala shirt on for the first time, I love seeing their big grin as they show me how proud and excited they are to wear it.

I love seeing a grown woman put their uniform on for the first time and say to me "look I'm all kitted up and ready to go". 

I love seeing a new member buy a tiny shirt to put on their dog as a mascot. 

This club has so much pride and commitment.

A word I hear around the club often is "family". 

It's not just a family and family atmosphere but a very family orientated club.

We are always looking to place kids and people in the very best fit for them not for the club and you can see that really comes out in the joy that people feel by being part of this family.

Everyone is an individual and has something different to offer and something different to learn. 

The best part of it all is participation.

The reason I put so much effort in is I just want the best for the club and its members.

I want to help create an environment where people not only want to come and play and relax but want to bring their friends down to play.

Over the last 10 years I have had the privilege to be part of and watch the culture of the club change and grow to a respectful, inclusive family orientated club.

The volunteer base is huge and it is extremely challenging to fill the roles required not just to keep the teams on the field but to stay true to who we are at Kalahockey. 

Hockey is a great sport that caters to all ages, abilities and orientations.

There are not many sports that can boast the same.

My husband was never really into hockey and didn't have much to do with it until the boys started playing. 

He is now an avid spectator and providing feedback on how we played and what we should have done and even the rules.

He used to play Aussie Rules football until he couldn't really physically play the game anymore.

One thing he often says to me is that he wished he had played hockey instead of football because he would probably still be playing now. 

My Ladies fours side is made up of mums who have just taken up hockey, ladies who have left hockey for a while and come back, to new people who are picking up a stick for the first time in their lives.”