Hockey Australia announces seven Hall of Fame inductees for 2020

Seven individuals who have had a profound impact on Australian hockey have become the latest inductees into the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame.

The Hockey Australia (HA) Board ratified the nominations of Craig Davies, Elspeth Denning OAM, Jim Irvine, Treva King and Annette West-Bail into the Athlete Category, while Richard Aggiss AM and Julie Ashton-Lucy will have their names etched into the General Category of the distinguished Hall of Fame list.

These additions take the total number of Hall of Fame inductees to 71, seven of whom are in the General Category as a coach or official.

Induction into the HA Hall of Fame is awarded to Australian players or officials who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in hockey at the highest level.

“On behalf of the Hockey Australia Board and the Australian hockey fraternity, I congratulate these latest inductees into the Hall of Fame. All of them are richly deserving of this honour,” said Hockey Australia President Melanie Woosnam.

“For the five inducted into the Athlete Category, during their time in the national setup they each represented Australia with distinction and left a lasting mark on the history of hockey in this country and the respect we have on the world hockey stage.”

“Richard Aggiss is one of Australian hockey’s most successful coaches and his contribution to the sport continues to this day, while Julie Ashton-Lucy reached the pinnacle as an umpire.”

Presentations to officially induct the seven individuals are scheduled to take place at events to be determined in 2021.

HOCKEY AUSTRALIA HALL OF FAME - 2020 INDUCTEES
Athlete Category
Craig Davies (WA)
An automatic selection in Australian teams from 1978-1991, Craig also had the distinction of captaining the Kookaburras. He was selected for three Olympic Games, was part of the successful World Cup winning team in 1986 and competed at a remarkable 13 Champions Trophies. Craig is arguably one of the finest defensive players produced in Western Australia, his international career seeing him finish with 193 appearances and 63 goals.

Elspeth Denning OAM (WA)
Born in Kenya, Elspeth enjoyed a spectacular national and international career and made her mark as a full-back of the highest quality. Selected for three Olympics, she was an inspirational vice-captain in Australia's Olympic gold medal win in Seoul in 1988 and was awarded an Order of Australia in 1989.

Jim Irvine (VIC)
An Olympic silver medallist at the 1976 Games, Jim scored 69 goals in 168 internationals, more than 100 of them as vice-captain. He was also part of dual bronze medal World Cup teams and received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000.

Treva King (QLD)
A talented half back, Treva competed at the 1984 Olympics and was part of the Kookaburras’ World Cup winning team in 1986. He was Australian vice-captain from 1984-1986 and represented his country at five Champions Trophies and two World Cups.

Annette West-Bail (QLD)
With 24 goals in 26 internationals, Annette’s scoring prowess was second to none. She was named in the World Eleven following the 1971 International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations in New Zealand. A ‘goal scoring machine’, Annette scored half of the Hockeyroos’ goals in tests against South Africa, 10 of 13 in the 1971 IFWHA and 7 of 16 in the 1973 edition in Amsterdam.

General Category
Richard Aggiss AM (WA)
Much of the strength of Australian men’s hockey since the 1980’s can be attributed to the contribution and influence of Richard. A superb player in his own right, Richard’s greatest feats came while coaching the Kookaburras from 1981-1988 where he achieved a winning record of over 80 per cent from 151 internationals.

Richard was the inaugural men’s coach of the Australian Institute of Sport’s hockey program that was widely recognised globally as the benchmark in the development of hockey at the elite level. He has also been heavily involved in the development of current hockey coaches, having assisted in writing and conducting Australia’s various official coaching courses.

General Julie Ashton-Lucy (QLD)
Named the world’s best umpire in 2013, Julie umpired over 100 senior internationals including multiple Olympics, Commonwealth Games, World Cups and Champions Trophies.

She received her Golden Whistle (award presented to umpires who have completed their 100th official Senior International Match) at the Beijing Olympics and has been part of the FIH World Umpires Panel since 2003.