Anne McMullin
PRESIDENT, West Vancouver Field HOCKEY Club
Anne in action.
Anne grew up in West Vancouver and is President of the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club (WVFHC), the host club for the Golden Oldies Vancouver Festival.
She enjoys playing drop-in, recreational games and coaching the North Shore’s young players. Anne is Vice-Chair of Field Hockey Canada and of the North Shore Field Hockey Facilities Society. She is President and CEO of the Urban Development Institute Pacific Region.
“I’ve played field hockey since I was about 10 years old. It was just a game that I loved and was passionate about and wasn’t too bad at. The women that I play with, some of them I’ve played with since elementary school, high school. We’ve all kind of ebbed and flowed through work, family, injuries, and so many of us still play.
As President of the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club and Vice-Chair of Field Hockey Canada, I’m really involved with the field hockey community itself. We talk about field hockey for life and play it for life.
I’m very competitive but field hockey is the one place in my life right now where we’re just having fun. We play to win, but if we don’t, it doesn’t matter. You’ve got 11 players and you don’t want to let them down—but in the end, have a good game and let’s go for coffee! That’s my competitive spirit. You always give it your best no matter what you’re doing, even if it’s just for fun.
As the largest field hockey club in North America, West Vancouver Field Hockey Club has members age 5 to 85 years of age. We can see firsthand how the important the sport is for building community, strengthening social ties and teaching skills for life.
In West Vancouver we have a passionate and enthusiastic community who have supported the many field hockey tournaments that we have hosted over the years. And WVFHC is excited to be hosting the Golden Oldies Vancouver Festival and we are looking forward to welcoming you to our home turf!
Victoria Bryan
Festival Ambassador
Club Organiser – Jokers International, Vancouver
Victoria (hoisting wine on the far right) and her teammates.
I was introduced to hockey at around the age of 9 in Bedfordshire, England. At 14, I joined a local club and so began my love for the game. I played for Chiltern Ladies Hockey Club, based in Bedfordshire for 15 years, until I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1999.
I had visited Vancouver a few times to visit a friend there, and fell in love with its beautiful mountain and ocean setting, as well as the outdoorsy and active lifestyle. I joined a local hockey club as soon as I arrived of course, but although the players were lovely, I struggled with the lack of a social element. Fortunately, the following summer, I attended a mixed drop-in hockey session run by the VRC Jokers Field Hockey Club and as soon as they invited me to the pub after the game, I knew I had found my new home!
I had always volunteered for my club back in England and my new home was no different, so I jumped in with both feet. I joined the Joker Executive in 2000 and served for 12 years including four years as President, I served for seven years on the Women’s League Executive, three as President and I also represented field hockey in the Vancouver Field Sports Federation for three years. I have also played and umpired in the Vancouver league for many years.
I first experienced the Golden Oldies movement in 2007, in Argentina and had such a wonderful time; I’ve attended ever since. In 2013, I took over the reigns from the amazing Stuart Wilson (who had been organizing Jokers International for over three decades) and I must admit organising this amazing and fun group for Golden Oldies tours every two years is by far one of the most fun volunteer positions I’ve ever had.
I’m delighted to welcome Golden Oldies back to Vancouver and although I hear the 2001 festival was a blast, I hope we will surpass even that and truly make 2019, one to remember!