Maitland netball community mourn loss of life members Shirley Scholes and Barry Evans

Both were tireless volunteers who dedicated countless hours to netball in Maitland.

Barry Evans was a valued member of West Rutherford Telarah Netball Club for over 45 years.

He held numerous positions but truly excelled at coaching where he dedicated his hours mentoring players.

The club said his dedication was unwavering, and he could always be found attending every meeting and walking the courts on Saturdays.

Mr Evans also coached representative sides with Maitland Netball Association. Association president Leearna Bennett said Mr Evans coached heavily through the 1980s and 90s and was involved with netball in Maitland until about 2020.

"I know he also did a bit of coach mentoring, so coaching coaches sort of thing as well," she said.

"Only up until maybe pre-Covid, if I had to guess, he still used to come down to the netball courts and he'd come down and watch some netball."

Shirley Scholes was a member of the Somerset Chisholm Netball Club and contributed to the development of umpires in Maitland and across the Hunter region.

Ms Bennett said Ms Scholes was heavily involved in coaching and umpiring the sport.

"She was around for many, many years at netball and she was a life member and even up until she was quite elderly," she said.

"She was still there on a weekly basis, she did a lot over the years, she did a lot of coaching and umpiring and she was always friendly."

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