Life Membership Announcement - Roy Carey
It is my privilege to announce that the Camberwell Hockey Club invited Roy Carey to accept a life membership. Roy responded with great surprise and profound gratitude saying that he never expected it and would be delighted to accept.
Roy will be officially inducted as the 28th Life Member at the Club Presentation Night 8th October 2022 at the MCG. I do, however, encourage all to congratulate Roy on this honour whenever you see him next.
Roy Carey has been involved with the club for over 30 years and served as President for 4 years from 1997-2000.
As President, Roy continued building the relationship with the council forged by earlier boards and those since, to gain ongoing support, more on field time, better facilities and fending off “non believing” neighbours determined to bring us down. This work laid the foundations for the outstanding relationship with the council we have today and the culture built on respecting our neighbours.
Roy was known for his closeness to the players as a mentor building a team culture, self-belief, mental focus and a sense of responsibility as elite players at the club. He was regarded as the players president having a major focus on club success on field and player development.
Off the field, Roy bought generational change to the structure and accountability of the board. Appointing people on merit, professional qualifications and accountability for portfolios. The structures you see today that we accept as a professional approach were forged during this time.
Roy also took the club to a new level with medical care for players. As a surgeon, Roy understood the value of pregame, during and post-game treatment of players. He developed relationships with local physiotherapists and set the standards envied by other clubs. A standard we rely on today. The introduction of afternoon teas for our top teams after Matlock games was also introduced during this time for foster a culture of respect and friendship between competing teams.
Roy has remained a volunteer medical officer available to all players throughout the decades of membership. Roy arranged the equipping our medical/physiotherapy room(s) (past & present) with electric tables for medical treatment of players including physiotherapy treatment. He further arranged for medical supplies to be donated to the club thus saving financial resources for a considerable number of years. The Roy Carey Medical Room is testament to this enormous and sustained body of work.
Junior section
Roy was heavily involved in our Junior section from his earliest days. A volunteer parent, a superb organiser, an enthusiastic and effective committee member, dispenser of medical advice, band aids, bandages and arranger of instant hospital treatment if that was required.
Women’s section
Roy saw the need to have our club as a ‘whole’ club and for the then separate Camberwell Women’s Club to be fully within the structure. He had many discussions with Terry Ryan, who succeeded him as President and could be rightly said to have helped lay the foundations for subsequent negotiations and discussions which led CHC to be a ‘whole’ club in 2004. This should not be forgotten. As a club, we have grown and developed amazingly since this time. We are better for the diversity, the cooperation and coordination of the senior sections (and juniors of course), the social cohesion, the pathways for our developing juniors, our developing coaches and umpires and of course lots more teams to support. We would not be in the position we are today without Roy’s foresight.
Roy has contributed enormously to the development and wellbeing of our Club. He is widely known as a CHC member, and is an immensely valued medical adviser not only to the Club but also to HV and HA thus promoting our culture and our values by placing this club squarely in the public consciousness. His public persona enhances the reputation and lustre of CHC, placing it at the forefront of a knowledgeable Australia wide hockey community.
The Camberwell Hockey Club is a brand that resonates within our local community and the hockey community throughout Victoria, Australia and beyond. Roy has made a significant contribution toward this status. He is a credit to himself in all respects and a credit to Camberwell Hockey Club.
Simon Winter
President