Sharmaine Hammond and her kids, back, Shane Ascough, and front, Brooke and Ricky Hammond form part of a passionate Hampton Park hockey family.By Marc McGowan
FOR the Hammond family, hockey is much more than a sport – it’s a way of life.
No fewer than 20 members of the Hampton Park Hammond clan are involved at the Greater Dandenong Warriors Hockey Club.
Three generations of the family have played at the club, starting with Shane Hammond in 1976.
Trevor Hammond is the family’s oldest playing member at 42, while six-year-old Ricky Hammond is the youngest.
Not surprisingly, there has been a number of highlights over the years, including state selection, life membership and even relationships.
Damien Hammond and partner Georgie met through their association with the Warriors and are expecting a child in January.
Shane’s sister Sharmaine, whose children Shane, 19, Brooke, 13, and Ricky play at the club, loves sharing her sporting passion with her family.
“One of the good things about hockey is we get to see more of each other than we normally would and it’s good to be able to watch one another,” she said.
“There’s always someone there to sort of help or coach from the sidelines.
“Most of us have either played or coached over the years and it’s good to see them grow up and be able to cheer them on.”
The Greater Dandenong Warriors Hockey Club is the result of a recent merger between the Springvale-Noble Park Warriors and Dandenong clubs.
“The reason for us amalgamating was to become a bigger club and we were sort of friendly with each other anyway,” Sharmaine said.
“We’d go down for some of their functions and they’d come up for ours – it’s better for both clubs.”
Sharmaine does not think creating a new club will change the friendly atmosphere associated with the Springvale-Noble Park Warriors.
“It’s what I’d call a family club. We have had a lot of generations playing there and there are always kids running around,” she said.
“We’ve been at the club 32 years, counting Shane, and we’ve gone with every move, so to me it is a part of our family.
“We’re the biggest family at the club and we’re a bit of a babysitting service in a way.
“People bring their kids down, and if they can’t stay there’s always someone there to watch them.”
So whether it is 19-year-old Ashley Hammond running around for the Victorian under-21 team – as she is doing in Tasmania – or Sharmaine joining daughter Brooke in the Metro League Three competition, you know it will mean that much more to them than their competitors.
