Pearce Sisters

Raised in a small farming community at Moulyinning, the Pearce sisters – May, Jean, Morna and Caroline – came to prominence in women’s hockey in that State from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s. May, Jean and Morna Pearce all went on to captain both State and national teams. Caroline ‘Tib’ Pearce played at State and national levels.

May Pearce (Campbell, 1915-1981), was one of Western Australia’s greatest players, scoring 100 goals in interclub, interstate and international matches in 1936. She represented Australia from 1936 to 1948 before working as a coach and administrator.

Jean Pearce (Wynne, 1921 - ), represented Western Australia from 1939 to 1953. She made the Australian team in 1946 and captained it to victory over England in 1953.

Caroline Pearce (Ash, 1925 - ), played from 1946 to 1950 and was a member, along with May and Jean, of the unbeaten 1948 Australian team that toured New Zealand.

Morna Pearce (Hyde, 1932 - ), played under her sister Jean’s captaincy in 1953, becoming Australian captain herself by 1956 when the next international tournament was played in Sydney. Morna won Western Australia’s first Sportsman of the Year award in 1956. Her son, John Hyde, is a member of the Labor Party and represents the seat of Perth in the Legislative Assembly.

Australian Women Exhibitions

• She's Game: Women Making Australian Sporting History, Australian Women's Archives Project, 2007, http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/sg/sport-home.html. [ Details... ]