KEY POINTS:
About 125 girls of Auckland Netball Centre's 11 representative teams attend national tournaments each year, proudly wearing their hard-earned uniforms.
They are unwittingly parading the work of the centre's volunteer hero, Lois Bush, 79, who has managed the supplying, documenting, returning and cleaning of the uniforms for the past 31 years.
Refusing to record the associated mountain of data on computer, she instead keeps it all in her famous exercise book.
She also lacks a clothes dryer. So after taking home and washing the uniforms upon their return, she hangs each one on her clothesline.
Auckland Netball Centre general manager Dianne Lasenby said Mrs Bush's job was so big, if she retired the centre would have to pay someone to replace her.
That would take money away from the girls, and would do nothing to replace the value Mrs Bush's experience and presence brought to the centre, she said.
"Just having someone with her knowledge, and experience ... she's just a fantastic person to have in the organisation.
"She's a real role model, she's everyone's favourite nana. The girls really respect her, and they look up to her."
But the centre had a taste of life without Mrs Bush in February.
She had a heart attack, which kept her in hospital for four weeks.
But when she recovered, she was soon back, volunteering as much time as ever.
Her commitment to netball was testimony to the era she was raised in, she said.
"I guess I'm from the old school. And I guess the social life of people these days has changed. Most people work so much now, and Saturdays are their only days off."
The role also got her away from the house, to the courts where she had either played, coached, umpired or administered most of her life.
"And those that appreciate [the work] give me satisfaction from it. So I just do what I have to do."
