Western Australia’s long dominance of woman’s hockey on the national scene was at its peak in the 1960-70 decade. A key player in that era was Shirley Tonkin (nee Haines) whose talents as a midfielder and strike forward were pre-eminent.

That time was characterised by very limited opportunities for women in competition at international level. Nevertheless, Ms Tonkin still managed to shine in her chosen sport.

She represented Western Australia in six winning State teams, and on each occasion the National Title was won or shared. International competition was restricted to one tournament in Philadelphia in the USA.

Ms Tonkin played 13 matches on that tour and was an outstanding player for her country. She was inducted into the WA Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995 and is considered by teammates as the best player of her time.