• Entry type: Person
  • Entry ID: AWE2238

Gill, Eunice Elizabeth Perrott

  • MBE
(1918 – 1987)
  • Born 15 January 1918, Armadale, Victoria, Australia
  • Died 4 December 1987, Canterbury, Victoria, Australia
  • Occupation Netball Coach, Netball Player, Sports administrator, University teacher

Summary

Eunice Gill was an All Australian netball player who had a long term and profound influence on the development of Australian women’s sport and sports administration in general. A graduate of the University of Melbourne (B.A. 1940, Dip. Phys. Ed. 1945), her views on the importance of sport and physical education were influenced by another netball player, Lorna McConchie, who helped to establish the physical education course at the University of Melbourne, and who was one of Gill’s teachers at university.

It became obvious very quickly that Gill not only had a talent for sport, but for teaching, coaching and administration, talents that her paid work and community interests allowed her to express and explore to the maximum. Gill eventually went on to obtain a permanent position teaching in the Department of Physical Education. She used study leave in 1972-73 to undertake a Master of Arts coursework degree in physical education at Leeds University, from which she graduated in July 1973.

While studying and teaching, Gill remained closely associated with the game of netball. She was appointed coach of the Victorian team in 1954, the same year she was appointed president of the All Australia Women’s Basketball Association. In 1960, she was appointed coach of the Australian team, while still being the coach of the state team. She served on the executive of the International Federation of Netball Associations through the 1960s, 70s and 80s, contributing to the drawing up of an international code for the game in 1960.

She was influential outside of netball, too. Her reputation and qualifications led, among other things, to her appointment as a foundation member of the board of directors of the Confederation of Australian Sport in 1976. The following year she was the only woman on the Sports Advisory Council established by the Federal Government. In 1980 she was appointed to the committee established by the Victorian government to investigate the teaching of Physical Education in schools. As chair of the Australian Council in the early 1980s, she was responsible for the polices and procedures of the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme overseeing 33,000 registered coaches.

Eunice Gill died in 1987 and was posthumously honoured by the Australian Sports Commission, who created and named an award for excellence in coaching and coach development after her. Most recently, she was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame as an associate member. Those who knew her well praised her for her personal qualities of ‘charm’, ‘dignity’, ‘diplomacy’ and ‘her delightful sense of humour’ along with her legacy of improving the standard of coaching and administration and ‘rais[ing] the profile of women in the community.

Events

  • 1945 - 1946

    Member of the Victorian State Netball Team
  • 1946 - 1947

    Captained the All Australia carnival team
  • 1948

    Member of the national team to tour New Zealand
  • 1953

    Appointed to a permanent position in the Department of Physical Education at the University of Melbourne
  • 1954 - 1960

    Appointed coach of the Victorian team
  • 1959

    Awarded Life Membership of the Victorian Netball Association
  • 1959 - 1967

    Vice-president International Federation of Netball Associations
  • 1960

    Appointed coach of the Australian team
  • 1966

    Received a service award from the Australian Netball Association
  • 1968

    Organised the 1968 Biennial Conference of the Australian Physical Education Association
  • 1975

    Appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to sport (especially netball), recreation and physical education
  • 1975 - 1983

    Senior Vice-President International Federation of Netball Associations
  • 1976

    Foundation Member of the the Board of Directors of the Confederation of Australian Sport
  • 1977

    Member of the Sports Advisory Council
  • 1982

    Appointed vice-president of the Confederation of Australian Sport
  • 1982 - 1985

    Chaired the Fifth Women’s World Bowls Tournament
  • 1983

    Received a service award from the International Federation of Netball Associations
  • 1983

    Retired from the University of Melbourne
  • 1983 - 1987

    Vice-president International Federation of Netball Associations
  • 1985

    Patroness of the Victorian Lawn Bowls Association
  • 1986

    Awarded the Australian Coaching Council’s certificate of merit for outstanding service
  • 1986

    Appointed a Fellow of the Confederation of Australian Sport
  • 1995

    Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame

Archival resources

  • The University of Melbourne Archives
    • University of Melbourne. Board of Studies in Physical Education
    • University of Melbourne. Department of Physical Education
  • Private hands (These records may not be readily available)
    • Netball Australia - Papers
  • State Library of Victoria
    • Victorian Netballer: Victorian Netball Association Official Newsletter

Published resources

Related entries


  • Related Organisations
    • Netball Australia (1927)
  • Related Women
    • McConchie, Lorna Jean (1914 - 2001)
  • Related Concepts
    • Netball (1900)

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