Lorna Jean McConchie (22 July 1914 – 9 December 2001) was a former Australia netball international and national team head coach. In 1938 McConchie played for Australia in their first international match against New Zealand. McConchie was later head coach when Australia won the inaugural 1963 World Netball Championships. In 2009 she was inducted into the Australian Netball Hall of Fame.

Lorna McConchie
Personal information
Full name Lorna Jean McConchie [1]
Born (1914-07-22)22 July 1914 [1]
Melbourne, Victoria[2][3]
Died 9 December 2001(2001-12-09) (aged 87) [1]
School University High School
University University of Melbourne
Occupation University lecturer
Netball career
Playing position(s): GA, GS
Years Club team(s) Apps
192x–193x East Kew (East Kew)
192x–193x University High School Old Pupils
192x–193x Melbourne University
1931–1940 Victoria
Years National team(s) Caps
1938 Australia 1
Coaching career
Years Team(s)
1959–1979 Melbourne University
1956 Australia
1963 Australia

Early life and education

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McConchie attended East Kew Primary School and University High School before studying physical education at the University of Melbourne. She subsequently became a lecturer at Melbourne and helped establish the university's physical education course. One of her students was Eunice Gill who was influenced by McConchie's views and went on to play, coach and administer Australian netball.[4]

In 1949, McConchie represented the Australian Physical Education Association at the first women's conference in Denmark.[1][2][5]

Playing career

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Clubs

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McConchie played netball for East Kew, winning premierships in 1928, 1929 and 1930. She also played for University High School Old Pupils and Melbourne University.[6]

Victoria

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Between 1931 and 1940, McConchie played for Victoria in the Australian National Netball Championships. In 2000, together with Sharelle McMahon, Wilma Shakespear, Myrtle Baylis, Shelley O'Donnell and Simone McKinnis, McConchie was named in Netball Victoria's Team of the Century.[1][2][5][6][7]

Australia

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On 20 August 1938, McConchie played for Australia in a 40–11 win against New Zealand at Royal Park, Melbourne. This was the first netball Test between Australia and New Zealand. She was then named vice-captain of the Australia team that was due to tour New Zealand in 1940. However the tour was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II.[1][2][3][6][8]

Coaching career

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University of Melbourne

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Between 1959 and 1979, McConchie coached several Melbourne University club teams .[6]

Australia

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In 1956, McConchie was head coach when Australia toured England, Scotland and Ceylon. The team was captained by Pat McCarthy. She was also head coach when Australia won the inaugural 1963 World Netball Championships. The team featured Joyce Brown and Wilma Shakespear.[1][2][6][7][9][10][11][12]

Tournaments Place
1963 World Netball Championships[12]  

Umpire and administrator

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McConchie also served as a netball umpire and sports administrator. She served three terms as President of Netball Victoria in 1955–58, 1969–70, and 1980–81. In 1959, she was one of two Australian delegates at the inaugural conference of the International Netball Federation. This conference helped formulate the modern rules of netball. She subsequently became a member of the INF's rules interpretation committee and attended every World Netball Championship between 1967 and 1983 in this capacity.[1][2][5][6]

Honours

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Head coach

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Australia

Individual awards

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Year Award
1951 Netball Victoria Life Membership [13]
1966 AANA Service Award
1991 IFNA Service Award [14]
1998 Netball Victoria Hall of Fame[15]
2000 Australian Sports Medal
2004 Victorian Honour Roll of Women[2][16]
2009 Australian Netball Hall of Fame[17][18]

Source:[3][6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "McConchie, Lorna Jean (1914 - 2001)". The Australian Women's Register. www.womenaustralia.info. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Victorian Honour Roll of Women 2004" (PDF). www.vassoapostolopoulos.com. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Lorna McConchie". diamonds.netball.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  4. ^ Smart, Judith, "Eunice Elizabeth Perrott Gill (1918–1987)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 11 October 2023
  5. ^ a b c "Celebrating 100 Years of Netball". University of Melbourne. sport.unimelb.edu.au. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Photograph of Lorna McConchie, c. 1930s". vic.netball.com.au. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Team of the Century". vic.netball.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Women Netball International Tests Matches 1938". www.todor66.com. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Women Netball International Tests Matches 1956". www.todor66.com. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  10. ^ "1956 Australian Netball Team". www.womenaustralia.info. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Australia at the Netball World Cup" (PDF). Netball Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Women Netball I World Championship 1963 Eastbourne". www.todor66.com. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Life Members". vic.netball.com.au. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  14. ^ "INF Service Award" (PDF). International Netball Federation. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Hall of Fame". vic.netball.com.au. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  16. ^ The Victorian Government (2017). Victorian Honour Roll of Women 2017 (PDF). Melbourne: Office of Prevention & Women’s Equality. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-7311-6656-5.
  17. ^ "Von Bertouch and Hallinan honoured at Australian Netball Awards". womensportreport.com. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  18. ^ "2009 Annual Report - Netball Australia" (PDF). netball.com.au. Retrieved 23 June 2020.