Lynne Townsend is a legend not just at North Shore Softball Association but also around and beyond the state. From starting off as a young softballer to eventually becoming among the state's top scorers, she recently completed an incredible 60 years at North Shore. We caught up with her to learn all about her illustrious softball journey.

What are some of your earliest memories of playing softball at North Shore?

I can definitely remember playing softball as a little primary school kid in Asquith Public School. Our school along with three other primary schools got together and formed our competition.

 
Lynne (middle row, second from right) from her primary school days at Asquith Public School

Eventually, after a few years, we went on to form North Shore Softball Association and moved to our grounds here at St Ives – a place we’ve called home ever since!

How has the sport of softball grown in the last sixty years around you?

Well, you just need to look at what we wore back then, and what we wear now.

Lynne in her 20s at St Ives

We didn’t have shin pads or cleats; we wore sand shoes. We had uniforms our mums used to make from our pyjama pattern! Our bats were wooden and we didn’t wear helmets. A lot has changed from then to now, and for the better!

Any special friendships you have forged all these sixty years at the Association?

So, so many! I still see so many of my friends from my teenage years continue to be involved in the sport even now. I’ve made a lot of friendships through the representative program. There are girls that I started scoring for when there were in Teeball, all the way up to the National level.

The one who’s been here at North Shore for the longest time is Sue Hamilton, someone who’s been here for as long as I have. And although Sue played for an opposition club, we’ve ended up being lifelong buddies.

What do you like the most about being at North Shore Softball Association? How well has the Association grown over the years?

The Association has been relatively small in numbers since we’re a female-only Association. We also share our grounds with cricket, and sometimes soccer - so we haven’t had the space to include boys in the competition. We are now only starting to bring in younger boys and give them an opportunity to play in the winter here.

Lynne alongside the North Shore Open Women's team at one of their many successful State Championships

I love how we at North Shore set a high standard for fair play, fun as well as respecting each other. A lot of players come from around the state including regional areas, because of our standard of games that are offered here – we take pride in that. Our rep program is also a matter of pride – we’ve produced some very talented athletes who have gone on to represent Australia on numerous occasions.

What about scoring do you like the most? What made you take it up in the first place?

I’ve been on the North Shore committee for 26 years, running the competition and registrar. It got to a point where I kept getting late to games because of the workload during the Saturday competitions – something that made me relook at how else I could be involved in the game. That’s when I turned to scoring. I started learning the basics and never looked back. I have scored for all my local teams in my club as well as North Shore rep teams across just about every age group. I have also scored for New South Wales at Nationals and State Championships. I also have been an Australian team scorer on one occasion. It certainly does have an incredible pathway.

At the Edebone-Weber Shield final in Perth in 2011

The thing I like the most about scoring is that you have to be on every ball, every hit, every catch, and every fielding action. You’re on the ball and you’re watching everything that’s happening, giving you a deeper and very different perspective. Moreover, the friendships, camaraderie and mentoring prevalent in our community of scorers are also very endearing. We are a great bunch of people very passionate about the sport.

Why is Softball everyone's game?

Just my history in the game is a testament to why it's everyone's game. I started off as a young softballer, played up until my 50's, and moved on to taking up administrator duties, before eventually turning to scoring. There's a role for everybody who wants to be involved in the sport. There really are no barriers to being a part of softball.