May Campbell
Encyclopedia
May Emma Campbell MBE
(2 November 1915 in Wagin, Western Australia
– 16 February 1981) was a field hockey
player who represented Australia in the sport from 1935 to 1948. From the tiny wheatbelt town of Moulyinning, her career spanned 50 years as a player, coach, selector and administrator in several Australian states as well as national duties. She was considered one of Western Australia's and Australia's greatest players, with India
n champion Dhyan Chand
saying of her: "May Campbell is one of the finest players I have seen, man or woman."
As a player, 1936 was May Campbell's best year: on the Australian tour of the United States
and Canada
she was Australia's highest goalscorer, she also toured England
and New Zealand
, and managed a haul of 100 goals in club, national and international matches. In 1938, she scored 20 of WA's 30 goals in the National Championships. During her many years as Western Australian captain, the state failed to win the national title only twice.
Campbell played local hockey with Surf Hockey Club (now YMCA Coastal City Hockey Club) with sisters Jean Wynne, (also played for Australia from 1946 to 1953), Morna Hyde (played for Australia in the late 1940s) and Caroline "Tib" Ash. May, Jean and Norma all captained the Australian Women's hockey team
and the state team at various times and Tib also played at State and national levels.
She was made a Member of The Order of the British Empire
(Civil) in 1980 and during the WAY 1979
celebrations, was named as the all-time great of women's hockey. She was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions
in 1986. The "May Campbell Service to Sport Award" is given annually to a sports administrator who has displayed outstanding service to sport in the state.
By coincidence, the four hockey playing Pearce sisters shared the same surname as the five Anglo-Indian hockey playing brothers, Cec, Mel, Eric
, Gordon and Julian Pearce
. Both sets of siblings played for Western Australia and Australia with the sisters dominating in the 1930s through to the mid 60s and the brothers in the 1950s and 60s.
John Hyde, MLA for Perth
, is Morna Pearce's son and hence May's nephew.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(2 November 1915 in Wagin, Western Australia
Wagin, Western Australia
Wagin is a town and shire in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, approximately 225 km south-east of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Narrogin and Katanning. It is also on State Route 107. The main industries are wheat and sheep farming.-History:The name of the town is...
– 16 February 1981) was a field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
player who represented Australia in the sport from 1935 to 1948. From the tiny wheatbelt town of Moulyinning, her career spanned 50 years as a player, coach, selector and administrator in several Australian states as well as national duties. She was considered one of Western Australia's and Australia's greatest players, with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n champion Dhyan Chand
Dhyan Chand
Dhyan Chand ; born August 29, 1905 in Allahabad, United Provinces, British India. – Died:December 3, 1979), was an Indian field hockey player, regarded as one of the greatest field hockey players of all time...
saying of her: "May Campbell is one of the finest players I have seen, man or woman."
As a player, 1936 was May Campbell's best year: on the Australian tour of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
she was Australia's highest goalscorer, she also toured England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and managed a haul of 100 goals in club, national and international matches. In 1938, she scored 20 of WA's 30 goals in the National Championships. During her many years as Western Australian captain, the state failed to win the national title only twice.
Campbell played local hockey with Surf Hockey Club (now YMCA Coastal City Hockey Club) with sisters Jean Wynne, (also played for Australia from 1946 to 1953), Morna Hyde (played for Australia in the late 1940s) and Caroline "Tib" Ash. May, Jean and Norma all captained the Australian Women's hockey team
Hockeyroos
The Australia women's national field hockey team are Australia's national women's hockey team.Having played their first game in 1914,they are one of Australia’s most successful sporting teams, boasting three Olympic Gold...
and the state team at various times and Tib also played at State and national levels.
She was made a Member of The Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(Civil) in 1980 and during the WAY 1979
WAY 1979
WAY '79, also referred to as WAY 79 and WAY 1979, was the official 1979 sesquicentennial celebration of the colonisation of Western Australia by Europeans.-Planning:...
celebrations, was named as the all-time great of women's hockey. She was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions
Western Australian Hall of Champions
In 1983, the Sportswriters' Association of Western Australia proposed a Western Australian Hall of Champions to honour past athletes from the state who had made a significant impact in their sport...
in 1986. The "May Campbell Service to Sport Award" is given annually to a sports administrator who has displayed outstanding service to sport in the state.
By coincidence, the four hockey playing Pearce sisters shared the same surname as the five Anglo-Indian hockey playing brothers, Cec, Mel, Eric
Eric Pearce (field hockey player)
Eric Robert Pearce is a former international field hockey player who represented Australia at four Olympics Games and numerous other international matches. In his home state of Western Australia, he dominated the game as a striker for 19 years...
, Gordon and Julian Pearce
Julian Pearce
Julian Pearce is a former field hockey player who represented Australia in 45 international matches including three Olympics Games...
. Both sets of siblings played for Western Australia and Australia with the sisters dominating in the 1930s through to the mid 60s and the brothers in the 1950s and 60s.
John Hyde, MLA for Perth
Electoral district of Perth
The Electoral district of Perth is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Perth is named for the capital city of Western Australia whose central business district falls within its borders. It is one of the oldest electorates in Western Australia, with its first member...
, is Morna Pearce's son and hence May's nephew.