Dr Richard Charlesworth - AO

Dr Richard Charlesworth AO, Cit. WA, born in Subiaco in 1952, is the ‘Mr Hockey’ of Australian hockey and arguably one of the world’s greatest hockey players of all time. 
Selected in five Olympic hockey teams between 1972-1988, he played in the national team for 17 years, amassing 227 international matches and scoring 85 goals.
In 1976 he was vice captain in the Silver medal winning team at the Montreal Olympics (no Australian won a gold medal in Montreal).
Ric was appointed captain of the Men’s Olympic Hockey Team at two Olympics (1980 and 1984) and proudly carried the Australian flag at the Opening Ceremony of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
He played in four World Cups in 1975, 1978 (Bronze Medal), 1981 (Bronze Medal) and 1986 (Gold Medal). In the 1986 triumph he was a key member of the team, the tournament’s leading scorer and voted Player of the Tournament.
He led Australia to its first major tournament win in the 1983 Champions Trophy, and the 1986 World Cup win was Australia’s first in the prestigious tournament held every four years. Ric’s dedication to being the best player he could be was driven by a fiercely competitive spirit.
He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1987 and in 2008 was an inaugural inductee into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame. Ric became a Legend of the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame in 2016.
His coaching record is unsurpassed and on a world scale he would rank amongst the world’s greatest and most successful coaches across all sports. Few if any can match his win loss record.
Commencing with the Hockeyroos in 1993, he coached the team to two Olympic Gold Medals (1996, 2000) and two World Cup Gold Medals (1994, 1998).
Ric coached the Hockeyroos in 252 international matches. He finished with a winning percentage of 78.8%, drawing 9.9% and losing only 11.9% of those matches. During Ric’s reign, in a world-wide poll, the Hockeyroos were voted as one of the top 10 sporting teams of the last century.
Between 2009 and 2014 he coached the Australian Men’s Team the Kookaburras in 193 internationals, winning 78.8% of matches, drawing 10.9% and losing 10.3%.
During his tenure in charge of the Kookaburras the team won two World Cups (2010, 2014) and a Bronze Medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Overall, Ric coached the Australian men and women in a total of 444 international matches for a win loss percentage of over 78% including six Olympic and World Cup Gold medals from seven attempts, eight Champions Trophy Gold medals from nine attempts and two Commonwealth Games Gold Medals.
It is a record never, and unlikely to be ever, equalled in sport. In the above 18 major tournaments Charlesworth’s team won 16 times and bronze twice.

Rechelle Hawkes - AM

Rechelle Hawkes AM was born in Albany, WA in 1967 and is Australia’s most successful hockey player, winning three Olympic Gold Medals (1988, 1996, 2000), two World Cups (1994, 1998) and five Champions Trophies.
Her hockey journey started at the age of six as a junior in the Northam Saturday morning competition, while also paying for Wundowie Primary School. She first played on the left wing wearing number 15.
In Rechelle’s junior primary school years, she attended a coaching clinic in Northam conducted by John Leece, a legendary coach in WA and an Hockey Australia Award of Merit recipient. With hair down to her shoulders and wearing black football shorts and a Royals top, Leece mistakenly took Rechelle for a boy, saying to her mum at the end of the clinic, “Your boy has very good skills and will be a very god hockey player in the future.” Fair to say there was a
look of surprise when Rechelle’s mother said that boy was in fact her daughter.
Selection in the U16 WA state team followed, before she made the WA Under 21 team and newly formed Western Australia Institute of Sport team in 1984. 
Rechelle was first selected for the Hockeyroos in 1985 by then coach Brian Glencross. 
While also featuring for Australia’s Under 21 women’s team in 1986 and 1987, Rechelle went on to enjoy a decorated 16 year international career before retiring after the Olympic Gold Medal Match in Sydney in 2000. Her longevity in the game underlined Rechelle’s dedication to her fitness and wellbeing over the 16 years of travelling the world playing international hockey.
Rechelle captained or co-captained the Hockeyroos for eight years during her long and distinguished career that concluded after 279 international matches and 54 goals.
Aside from winning three Olympic Hockey Gold medals, another of Rechelle’s Olympic highlights was reading the Athletes Oath at the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics in front of a live audience of over 80,000 and a television audience of hundreds of millions. It is an honour she is immensely proud of.
Rechelle was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2016 she became a Hockey Australia Legend.
She was also awarded the Medal of the order of Australia (OAM) after the Hockeyroos’ 1988 Olympic gold medal, followed by becoming a Member of he Order of Australia (AM) in 2018.
Rechelle’s successful playing record for Australia in terms of Gold Medals won is unlikely to be ever repeated. Without doubt she is a Hockey Legend and deserves her place among the greatest who have played the game for Australia.

Alyson Annan - OAM

Alyson Annan OAM was born in Wentworthville NSW in 1973 and is widely recognised as Australia’s greatest female hockey player.
Across the hockey world the debate rages as to whether Alyson or the Argentinian legend Luciana Aymar is the greatest of all time. For many Alyson would be first selected because of her prodigious goal scoring talent (and goals win matches), whereas Aymar was a playmaker extraordinaire.
When a player scores 166 goals in 228 international matches against the best defenders in the world one can only marvel at her achievement.
Alyson came from the NSW hockey program under the guidance of coach Judy Laing before heading to the Australian Institute Sport hockey program in Perth aged 19. Immediately the coaches of both the men’s and the women’s programs thought, ‘here is a player with that X factor’.
Former National Coach and AIS Head Coach Richard Aggiss recalls watching Alyson from his office window, flicking the ball from the top of the circle (16 yards) into the goal and under the cross bar.
Very few female players worldwide could perform that skill in the early 1990’s but a young Alyson Annan made it look easy. It wasn’t long before she was selected in the Australian team under the professional guidance of legendary Australian coach Brian Glencross.
Alyson was selected for her first international match for Australia in June 1991 against Korea in a star-studded forward line that included Rechelle Hawkes, Sharon Buchanan and Jackie Pereira.
Alyson scored her first international goal against Great Britain in the same year, and although her international career was not as long as many others, she played in 228 internationals and scored 166 goals – a remarkable conversion rate of over 72% in a career that spanned 11 years until her premature retirement in 2001.
Another highlight of Alyson’s career was scoring eight goals throughout the tournament in the Hockeyroos’ Gold Medal winning performance at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Alyson was a scoring machine in a golden generation of Hockeyroos teams that won two Olympic Gold Medals (1996, 2000), two World Cups (1994, 1998), four Champions Trophies and a Commonwealth Gold Medal in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.
Alyson was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2013 and into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame in 2010.
She became a Hockey Legend in the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame in 2018. In 1998 and 2000 she was voted the FIH Player of the Year by her hockey peers in a world-wide poll, and in 1999 she was voted by an independent panel as the best female player in the world.
After retiring as a player, Alyson moved to Holland with her partner and over time established herself as a quality coach. In 2015 she was appointed national coach of the Netherlands Women’s Team, coaching them to the 2016 Olympic Final in Rio de Janeiro, only to be surprisingly defeated by Great Britain.
Two years later at the World Cup, the Netherlands scored an emphatic victory to win the Gold Medal match 6-0 and Alyson was reappointed to take the team to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which would be postponed by 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2021 she cemented her status as one of the world’s best hockey coaches as she guided the Netherlands to victory for the 100th time in just 120 international matches. This status was further enhanced as the Netherlands won Olympic gold in Tokyo, Alyson becoming the first woman to win hockey gold medals as a player and a coach at separate Olympics.
By any definition Alyson is a Legend of the sport.

Julian Pearce

Born in April 1937 in Jabalpur India, Julian Pearce came to Australia in 1948 and settled with his family in Perth. Julian is the youngest of the five famous Pearce brothers (Cec, Gordon, Eric, Mel and Julian), all who played hockey for Australia.
The 170th player to represent Australia’s national men’s team, Julian played 59 international matches from 1960-1970 including three Olympic Games - Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968. Those from that era remember him as one of Australia’s greatest ever players.
Unlike his older brothers who were all forwards, Julian was a defender. Many believe this eventuated because Julian was the youngest and given the unenviable task of defending the goals while his elder brothers competed in the backyard.
Julian was selected and captained the WA Under 21 team in 1958. Such was his talent and natural ability, in the same year alongside his four brothers, he represented the WA Senior State team (the only time all five brothers played together for WA).
Overall, Julian played 60 matches for WA in the National Championships (1958/59/60/64/54/68). He undoubtedly would have played more if not for work and family commitments, which was common place for many in those times.
Often referred to as the Rolls Royce of this famous hockey family, Julian dominated his position at either centre half and left half for Australia. In what can only be described as extraordinary circumstances, Julian made his debut for Australia at the 1960 Olympic Games at left half back against a star studded Pakistan outfit. Despite ending on the wrong side of the score line, Julian announced his arrival on the international scene with an impressive debut.
Brilliant performances in Tokyo, particularly against reigning Olympic Games Gold medallists Pakistan in the group stage (lost 2-1) and India in the semi-final (lost 3-1), Julian was also pivotal in defeating Spain 3-2 to win the Bronze Medal and Australia’s first Olympic medal in Men’s Hockey.
At the 1968 Olympics, Julian again featured heavily, with the Gold Medal match going down as one of the all-time great Olympic Hockey Finals. After being battered and bruised in the semi-final win over India, Australia played out another physical encounter with Pakistan, only to go down 2-1. Despite the disappointment, a silver medal was still an outstanding result.
In 1970 Julian was selected in the Australian team for the inaugural World Cup in Pakistan in 1970. However, when war broke out in the region the tournament was postponed until 1971. With news of the postponement, Julian announced his retirement from international hockey in 1970.
Decades later, former Australian Coach Richard Aggiss surveyed many past players and coaches across Australia to see who they believed were the nation’s greatest players. Julian was rated second on the list behind legend Richard Charlesworth, underlying how talented Julian was regarded.
Widely acclaimed for his silky skills, Julian was balanced, rarely rushed and like all champions seemed to have time and space to execute skills. While he was not exceptionally quick across the ground, his ability to read the game made it seem like he was cruising. He was also a wonderful team man, highlighted by the time when asked to play left wing in an international in 1962, he scored four goals.
Such was his status in Western Australia, in 1987 Julian was inducted in the WA Sport Hall of Champions. Those in attendance that night, which included the greats of WA sport, stood to applaud Julian, not only as a champion but because of the exemplary person he was off the pitch.
For hockey players, coaches and fans alike, Julian is one of the greats of Australian Hockey and in 1999 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
In 2008 Julian was one of the ‘original eleven’ men inducted into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame. Following his retirement from playing, Julian began coaching in Perth. His recognition as Hockey Australia’s fourth Legend is thoroughly deserving based on his legacy and the imprint he has had on Australian hockey.

Sharon Buchanan - OAM

Sharon Buchanan OAM was born on 12 March 1963 in Busselton, Western Australia. She is one of Australia’s most decorated hockey players and an esteemed figure in world hockey.
Affectionately known as ‘Bucky’, Sharon was selected for four Olympic Games and a member of the Hockeyroos’ breakthrough Olympic gold medal winning team in 1988. 
Sharon was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1994, the Western Australian Institute of Sport Hall of Champions in 1999, the HWA Hall of Champions and was one of the inaugural inductees into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame in 2008. She became the 285th player to represent the Hockeyroos.
First picking up a hockey stick at the age of four, Sharon, like many juniors, played a variety of sports.
However, it was hockey where she thrived. Her career began when she was selected in the Western Australia State Under 16 team in 1975 at the age of 12. Sharon captained the WA U16 team in 1978 before going on to play for and captain the WA U19s.
A rare and gifted hockey talent, Sharon originally played inside forward before later choosing the centre-half role. Sharon was selected for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games as a 17 year old. However, due to the boycott she would have to wait until March 1981 to make her Hockeyroos debut. The midfielder would go on to compete at the next three Olympic Games, including the historic 1988 gold medal winning team in Seoul.
Coached for the majority of her international career by Brian Glencross, himself an HA Hall of Fame inductee, Sharon was always a highly rated junior who loved training and flourished under Brian’s coaching. Working as Brian’s assistant coach at the AIS hockey unit in Perth, Pam Glossop had this to say about Sharon. “Her unique ability to eliminate defenders with a subtle change of pace and deft stick skills, along with her vision off the ball made her one of the greatest playmakers in Australian hockey.”
Legendary coach Ric Charlesworth, who coached Sharon at the end of her illustrious career, said, “Sharon is a champion of the game and while she was usually a playmaker, her two second half goals in the Olympic Semi Final against the Netherlands in 1988 were pivotal to Australia’s Gold Medal success.”
Bucky was named in the World XI team three times (1988, 1990, 1991) and captained the Hockeyroos from 1989-1993 in an international career that comprised 186 matches (which at the time was an Australian record) and 57 goals.
Sharon played in four World Cups (winning a bronze and a silver medal) and four Champions Trophies (winning two gold and two silver medals). She was named Player of the Tournament at the 1991 Champions Trophy.
She called time on her illustrious career after helping the Hockeyroos win the 1993 Champions Trophy.
Sharon Buchanan joins the true legends of the sport and continues to be widely respected across the hockey world for her wonderful hockey ability and endearing personality.

Paul Dearing

Former Kookaburra Paul Dearing has been awarded legend status 15 years after his induction to the hall of fame in 2008. Former teammate and Australian Coach Richard Aggis surveyed 50 Australian players, officials and coaches to determine the greatest ever players, where Dearing was ranked third behind current legends Dr Richard Charlesworth and Julian Pearce consolidating his place amongst the stars of Australian hockey.
A goalkeeper from NSW, Dearing built a training regime that became part of hockey folklore by running 400 meter sprints with his goalkeeping pads on. Often seen training with rugby players, he was one of Australia's fittest athletes and built a reputation for his fearless defence of the goals whether it was for his club, his state or for Australia in an era of limited protective gear.
First selected to play for Australia in 1963 Dearing would go on to play in 69 International matches over 10 years from 1963-1972. Dearing was one of two goalkeepers selected to play in the 1964 Olympics where he was picked to play in the semifinal against India and again in the winning bronze medal match where the team brought home Australia's first Olympic medal.
Paul backed up his performance at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, playing in all 10 matches including the semifinal against India and the final against Pakistan, consolidating himself as an integral part of a team that came home with a silver medal. The 1968 Olympic Hockey Team that came home with a silver medal, was clearly one of Australia’s greatest ever teams and Paul Dearing was an integral part of that team.
In 1971 Paul was selected in the Australian team for the inaugural World cup in Barcelona, Spain and played in all 6 matches. In 1972 Paul was selected for his third Olympic Games, to be held in Munich where he played in all 9 matches before announcing his retirement from International Hockey.
Paul Dearing takes his rightful place as a legend of Australian Hockey after an illustrious career capped off with two Olympic medals and a lasting legacy on Australian hockey. 

Dianne Gorman (nee Dowd) (NSW)

Dianne is known as one of the great players and leaders of the women’s game. Making her debut as a 20-year-old in August 1973 against England in London. Di had impressed selectors after an incredible run that saw her make every NSW state team for nine years between 1972 and 1981.
On the pitch, Di was a brilliant attacking centre halfback and a leader both on and off the field. Appointed captain in 1979, she led the team until 1981 including being named captain of the inaugural Olympics in 1980 when women’s hockey was on debut. Unfortunately, Di could never see out the Olympic honour after Australia boycotted the Moscow Games. However, one of the greatest honours came in 1979 when she captained the International Federations of Women’s Hockey Association team in Scotland, celebrating 100 years of hockey in Great Britain.
Di retired after captaining the Australian team at the World Cup in Argentina in 1981 having played 47 international matches, which was an impressive feat given how few international matches women played at the time. Following her great career, Di was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 1986 for Services to Hockey before being inducted into the Hockey NSW Hall of Champions in 2007, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame in 2008. Her legacy lives on at the sports oval in Shellharbour, which is fondly named the Dianne Gorman Oval.