"It's a wonderful recognition for 40-odd years," says the grandmother from Taradale who received the award from the Bay seniors club president Garth Eyles on April 30 before her club, Greendale, also formally acknowledged her contribution last Sunday.
"I don't do these jobs to get accolades because I enjoy doing them," says Lumsden who still helps president (also Clive club treasurer) Julie Shaw organise the 26-team Thursday mid-week interclub women's competition for the province.
She harbours no regrets about the rest of her nuclear family not catching the tennis bug.
"I always had trout and venison in the freezer. It was bloody marvellous," she says with a laugh before proudly pointing out the Lumsden names feature prominently on the Napier Deerstalkers Association and HB Hunting & Fishing silverware and honours boards.
John is a board member of HB Hunting & Fishing.
To put her playing passion in perspective, she picked up a tennis racquet at 15 simply because it took her fancy and, bar almost a decade for raising two children, she didn't put it down until last year.
"If Norman wasn't so sick I think I might have carried on playing a bit longer," she says of her husband who carries the Christian name in line with his father but that has ended with Norman jnr who doesn't have children.
John has two adult daughters.
Born in Eketahuna, Lumsden arrived in the Bay with her grandparents at age 8.
The former Westshore School and Napier Intermediate pupil says the game simply caught her eye at NGHS where she made the top tennis team in her final year.
"It was something I enjoyed and it was a new challenge," says Lumsden who finished school to work for the Inland Revenue Department before going on to work at a Mobil garage for 22 years after marrying Norman at age 24.
When the family moved to Bayview in 1971 the newly formed Eskview Sports Club asked her to carry out administrative duties.
She obliged, going on to assume the mantle of club captain, secretary and treasurer in a service spanning 31 years before she was ordained a club life member in 1991. She had switched her focus from badminton to tennis.
Lumsden retired in 2007, crossing the floor to Greendale club when the membership started dwindling at Eskview tennis club.
Her appetite for volunteering in the code was voracious. In 1998 she took over organising the Thursday HB mid-week competition from the late Dot Leech, a Nelson Park Tennis Club stalwart who died not long after.
"I still go every Tuesday morning for the mid-week women's meeting where I catch up with others and then we go have a cup of coffee at the [Taradale] village."
Lumsden, who served as HB Tennis Association committee member and went on to become secretary/treasurer, fulfilled similar roles with the HB Veterans Tennis Club from 2000 until she retired last year but not before she was made a life member in 2011.
Last year she received the administrator of the year award from Eastern Tennis.
"Eastern Tennis are doing a wonderful job. It's run more professionally," she says following the region's withdrawal from the previous umbrella of Tennis Waikato/Bay which caused some division.
Lumsden, who still sneaks out for a game occasionally, has competed at veteran tourneys in Taupo, Masterton and Whakatane.
Her only overseas tourney was on Norfolk Island for three years.
She clinched gold in the 70-plus mixed doubles in 2009, in partnership with Australian player Charles Price.
