Sport
5 December, 2025
Maryborough Netball Association’s Lorraine Adams celebrated ahead of retirement
You would be hard-pressed to find someone who’s had a larger impact on the Maryborough netball landscape than Lorraine ‘Blue’ Adams.
Starting as an 11-year-old playing against women in A grade, Adams has since taken on virtually every role imaginable at the Maryborough Netball Association (MNA).
Umpire, coach, tutor, long-serving committee member, team manager, canteen lady, she’s even been a resident cleaner and seamstress on occasion.
However, after 69 years of being a fixture at a complex where she has rightfully earned a life membership, Adams has elected to retire from the MNA committee, officially stepping away at the conclusion of the ongoing twilight season.
In a show of appreciation for a departing cornerstone of their association, the MNA hosted a surprise dinner for Adams at The Park Hotel last Friday, celebrating her lifetime achievements in the netball scene.
Previous players from across the state who have been umpired by Adams joined the festivities, sharing personal anecdotes on the memories and impact Blue has had on their netball journeys.
Initially expecting to attend a secluded committee dinner, Adams said she was left astounded and warmed by the outpouring of commemoration.
“It was just amazing to see all of the people over the years that I have umpired,” she said.
“I walked in and was like, there are a lot of people here tonight. I thought it was only four of us from our committee going for tea.
“Then I looked around and thought, I know her and I know her, something must be going on.”
Despite wearing so many hats at the association, Adams is best known for her work as umpires convenor, implementing her highly qualified training into multiple generations on a district and regional scale.
After receiving her C and B badges on the same day, Adams became the first Maryborough umpire to be given an A badge in her early 20s.
“When I got my A badge, it was a huge achievement because I had to go to Melbourne to get that, and just from there, I knew I had to help others to achieve what they wanted to achieve,” Adams said.
“It’s been a real joy to help out all of the umpires. I think I just wanted to give back what I could to help others and inspire them to do better things.
“Girls would ask me to come down, and I would go down for weeks on end and work with them.
“I would go and sit down with the testers and watch them test them, and it would be amazing when they got their badge.”
With an affection to guide and support netballers, umpires and members alike, only paralleled by a Coke soft drink, Adams has been a vital fixture of the MNA’s committee, a role Adams said she held with pride.
“It’s never been a big committee up there, and I knew that, so to keep it going, you sort of had to stay involved, or it wouldn’t have been going now,” she said.
“Being on the committee and being able to help with other things was great ... I just wanted to give back for all the years they gave me.”
Adams said the decision to leave the committee came naturally, believing it was right for her to step away at her age.
Despite her retirement, Adams said she won’t become a stranger to the MNA, selflessly promising to be a helping hand when required.
“It’s a big commitment to do the umpires, I have to do the draws every week, write them up for each game, tick them in when they come, and get someone if they can’t get an umpire,” she said.
“I just thought it was time for someone else to step up and do it.
“It’s been an enjoyment, I couldn’t have been without my netball.
“I’ll still be around helping and assessing umpires — I have a granddaughter up there playing, so I’ll go up there and watch her.
“They have been a great bunch of girls on the committee, and even the players up there, they all know you, so I’ll miss them all, and it will be difficult for me to stay away completely.”