She and Stan were introduced at a stockcar meet at what's become their second home, the Paradise Valley Raceway. For goodness knows how long Sonja was club secretary and its promotions guru for the past 14 years.
She excels at it. Five or six years ago she did her maths, calculating that the sport was pumping well over $2 million a year into the city's economy - "I really must update that, our events have grown exponentially since then" - attracting participants and supporters from Cromwell to Dargaville.
Before we leave her commitment to stockcars because we've got a lot of other ground to cover, it's essential to record Sonja Hickey was a driving force in developing the raceway into the world class facility it's become.
"In 1999 I was standing beside the track with Rod McNaughton and he said 'this place is a s**t hole, I looked around and said 'you're right'. The club was financially strapped at the time so I asked them if they'd mind me raising some money . . . probably the biggest mistake of my life . . . it's been full-on from then on."
The latest development is new club rooms, swanky corporate boxes included.
Sonja drove her first stockcar at Hamilton's Forest Lake Stadium at 16. "I was a wild child, knew my parents wouldn't approve so got my granddad, a JP, to sign my licence."
She uses the 'wild child' phrase a lot to describe her teenage years, moving from stockcars to motorbikes "for a blast".
In contrast, she was an ace lawn bowler in her 20s. Search the Bay of Plenty Association's records and there she is as its 1986 junior outdoor champ.
Bowls is the third sport she's played at provincial level; add netball, playing for Thames Valley, and cross-country eventing in Waikato colours.
"When I was 5 I nagged my dad into buying me a pony, he was reluctant but it turned out I wasn't a bad rider, mainly show jumping and cross country, I used to ride a bit with Mark Todd around the A&P shows." Around the time he took up three-day eventing she swapped saddles for her first motor bike.
At 18 and after legal secretary jobs in Te Aroha and Hamilton her parents bought Reporoa's Woolshed Tavern, she moved with them.
"I thought I'd be able to save for my OE but got married instead." Her husband was local tanker driver Bruce Phillips, they produced two daughters. It was as a young mum that she took up bowls "there wasn't much else to do in Reporoa".
When her marriage disintegrated eight years on, "I guess I grew up", she moved to Rotorua, first stop (well almost) was the Arawa Bowling Club.
Sonja knows all about the difficulties of being caught "in the horrible trap of supporting kids on the DPB, it's so hard on them [children]."
Then along came Stan. "For a start we were just friends, then one night he came around and never left." They married seven years later. When he came into her life he was a small-time contractor.
Sonja joined the crew, "starting off driving trucks, then diggers, doing the books at night, the business got bigger and bigger and bigger, I went into the office full time. By then we had 40 people working for us and I still drove the machinery at weekends."
Stan Hickey Contractors became synonymous with Rotorua's growth spurt of the 1980s and 90s.
"We were working 24/7, demolishing 80 commercial properties in five years for big developments like Countdown and the Novotel. Knocking down the Majestic Theatre was wild, crazy . . . it took a lot of initiative, you'd go to jail now for some of the things we did but no one ever got hurt."
When the business was sold (it still retains the Hickey Contractors name) Sonja's life became even more immersed in speedway, when Stan's driven in the UK and Holland she's gone with him.
He drove in his last race two years ago but she retains her promotional role and here we're given a stern lecture.
"You aren't," she gruffly instructs, "to make out I am a one-man band, it's been a lot of work by a lot of amazing people I'm just lucky to be part of the team, to be on a wonderful journey doing things I love."
SONJA HICKEY (NEE COOPER)
Born: Te Aroha, 1958.
Education: Waihou Primary, Te Aroha College, Waikato Polytech (business-secretarial course).
Family: Husband Stan, two daughters, stepson and step daughter, 10 grandchildren "raised on mini stocks, although one's a New Zealand champion gymnast".
Interests: Family, speedway, 'my vege garden', DIY and 'crafty things' (has done all the interior work on the couple's monster motor home), Wearable Arts (placed 3rd last year).
Self evaluation: "Without a challenge I'm horrible to live with."
Personal Philosophy: "The road to success is always under construction."
