Water polo more than just a sport for Helen Hamilton-Foster

Water Polo Australia continues its celebration of hard working volunteers as part of National Volunteers Week, today recognising the dedication of Helen Hamilton-Foster to her beloved Cronulla Water Polo Club.

Having never played the sport, Helen was first exposed to water polo through her daughter, but now remains involved with the sport through her own passion.

“Even though my daughter isn’t involved in the sport anymore, I do this because I want to help,” Helen said.

“I know as a parent how stressful it can be to watch your children play and officiate at the same time, so I like to be able to help and alleviate a little bit of the officiating stress.

“Now that my daughter has moved on from the sport, I remain involved because of my interest in the sport and also the club... I love the sense of community I feel being a part of this sport,” she said.

Helen has many special memories from her time at the Cronulla Water Polo Club.

“I can still remember the first time I became interested in being a table official, when I was part of a group of parents that organised an Under 14s national tournament at Sutherland Pool over 15 years ago. H.

“And I still enjoy doing that to this day. I have volunteered on the table at local, metropolitan, state and national level events since then and have had many happy experiences,” Helen said

But Helen’s favourite part is the sense of community and club pride from everyone at Cronulla.

“I get a sense of camaraderie from the other parents and young adults that work hard to make the games happen.

“I love the opportunity and thrive off the energy that comes with it,” she said.

Water Polo Australia and Cronulla Water Polo Club would like to thank Helen, and the many other volunteers that make our sport great.

Stay tuned to the many more stories we will be sharing during National Volunteers Week. Want to show your appreciation towards our sporting volunteers? Wave a special smile of appreciation from your own home - upload your wave photo to social media and share using the hashtags #NVW2020 and #waveforvolunteers, and tag Volunteering Australia.

For more information about National Volunteer Week - click here