Orange hockey dedicate grandstand to Val Gregory

The Val Gregory Memorial Grandstand was officially dedicated on Sunday, July 23 in a moving ceremony on the Smith Field.

Ms Gregory, who died in 2018, was a stalwart of Orange hockey, contributing 64 years and countless hours of her life to the sport.

Close friend Gail Pringle shared her memories of Ms Gregory, who she had started playing with when she moved across to Canobolas Hockey Club.

"Val came to live in Orange in 1955 when most of you weren't even born," she said.

"I knew Val for a very, very long time and I still miss her very much. She worked tirelessly for hockey and the Eight Day Games, whatever she put herself into she was dedicated and really gave her all.

"Val everybody loved and Val everybody hated, at times. She was a person who stuck to her guns and no matter what you said you did not change her mind."

Ms Pringle ended with one of Ms Gregory's most well-known phrases, directed at players who failed to meet uniform standards.

"Turn your collars down and tuck your shirts in!"

Ms Gregory had won $3000 of prize money from Rotary's Community Sporting Award in 1993 and donated it for the construction of a grandstand, the same one that now bears her name.

Orange Women's Masters Hockey president Jacqui Brearley said the dedication ceremony had taken some time to finally happen due to COVID.

"It's been a while but we finally got it done," she said.

"It was fantastic, great weather and there were a lot of older players there.

"Masters is a massive tradition and it's been going for some time. Val was right there at the beginning of that along with Gail."

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