By Russell Bennett
TO say Jaimee De Jong is Cora Lynn through and through is one hell of an understatement.
She’s a life member of the netball club, as is her mum (Kim), while her dad (Norm Dalziel) is a life member of the football club – the same club that Jaimee met her husband, Rhys.
Her siblings all played at the club, her parents still live in Cora Lynn, and they even used to own the general store when it was still operational.
Jaimee debuted for the Cobras in F Grade in 1993 and on Saturday ran out for her club record 350th game.
She’s played for that long that she said she couldn’t even remember what year she won her B Grade club best and fairest in. She’s since won several C Grade best and fairest awards too, but she said a lack of premiership glory does leave a bit of a void.
But she’s made life-long friends – with the likes of Jacqui Dennis, who played for the Cobras’ A Grade side on Saturday but started way back in the under-13s with her.
“It’s people like that who keep on coming back that make this such a great place to play,” Jaimee said, adding that her 2014 life membership award was probably her biggest achievement in her time at the club.
She said she hopes to keep playing next season, depending on how the rest of 2016 pans out.
Jaimee is also on the committee of the netball club, and umpires as well, and on Saturday she admitted to getting a little emotional when fellow life member Jacinta Gunton spoke about her career achievements in front of her team mates.
But her proudest moment – undoubtedly – was when her daughter Jazmyn, who’s eight, said that when she turns 10 she wants to start playing netball at Cora Lynn. The tradition continues.
