Sandra Pemberton Club Derby Day
Sandra Pemberton Club Derby Day
18 Jan 2020
The 2nd annual Sandra Pemberton Club Derby Day took place on the 18th January this year. For those of you who didn’t have the pleasure of knowing her, Sanj was a member of the Ladies A team for over 10 years, scoring goals, laughing and partying hard and remembered very fondly by so many for being an intrinsic part of the culture of the Club and particularly the Hockey Section.
Sanj tragically passed away on the 24th June 2018, but her spirit and stories still echo through the Sportsman’s Bar and down Wyndham Street, so she will never be forgotten by Hong Kong. We established the Sandra Pemberton Club Derby Day last year and it’s been established as an annual celebration of Sanj’s life.
This year’s Club Derby Day saw games between Ladies Club teams in the same division with the As vs Bs, Cs vs Ds, Es vs Dinos and the Gs and Cubs playing teams in their respective leagues. To make it all the more special, Sanj’s mum Maura and Auntie Ellen travelled from the UK to HK and were on hand to award the MVP and Best and Fairest trophies, which were kindly sponsored by Liquidnet.
In true Sanj fashion, a day of hockey really would not be complete without a social, so it was fitting to host a BBQ on the back patio of the Sportsman’s Bar which involved music, stories and trips down memory lane in honour of our dear friend.
Each year, in memory of Sanj, a collection of money is donated to a charity. Last year’s money was raised for Plastic Free Seas which is an organisation close to Harry Pemberton (Sanj’s son’s) heart. We were absolutely delighted that Harry also attended the day and was on hand to present the cheque.
This year, the money collected will be donated to the National Bushfire Disaster Appeal. Sanj had recently moved to Australia and Harry is currently attending school in Sydney, so it was fitting on a number of fronts to make the donation to such a worthy appeal in Sanj’s memory.
A huge thank you must go to everyone involved in the organisation of the event and for being part of a very special celebration. Particular mention must go to Mel Mak for her coordination of the day, Hannah Wright for the fantastic butterfly socks and Claire Archer for MC ing the games on the day.
Dawn Strachan