Helen Hannah Mumford

I have very fond memories of Helen, who befriended a new Canadian from Ireland, when I came to Vancouver in 1957. Field hockey was an international language, and we shared that love.

We moved to Vancouver in Grade 11 and thanks to some school friends and Helen, I hooked up with the North Van hockey team. Life couldn`t be better. It started a lifetime of hockey, friends forever, and essential life skills that come with sport. I remember our first road trip and it still makes me smile. I only wish every kid could experience it. Your mum had a huge influence on a large group of kids with the impact that they continued sport for their entire lives. I beleive that there is no greater contribution that one can make. Thanks Helen and thankyou to her family for sharing her with us.

Helen was instrumental in setting up the North Vancouver Field Hockey Club for women and putting the team in the Vancouver Women's Field hockey league. She was a feisty person, of great strength and courage and yet compassionate and self-less. She encouraged me and many other young women to commit our Saturdays to playing the game and staying fit. Although I lost touch with her over the past 8 years, I remain grateful to her for her visionary outlook on organized sports for women. We shall miss her a lot.

Sorry to hear of your mums passing. Enjoyed my ski trip to your cabin on Grouse Mountain around about 1960. Will never forget it.