Born: Wagin, W.A.
2 November, 1915 – 16 February, 1981
The tiny Western Australian Wheatbelt town of Moulyinning produced one of the world’s finest hockey players in May Campbell, who represented Australia internationally from 1935 to 1948.
After moving to the city, she helped make the Surf Women’s Hockey Club the State’s biggest and most successful club and went on to serve W.A. with great distinction as a player, captain, coach and selector.
May Campbell’s superb stick work, goal scoring ability, tactical expertise and strong influence on other players was reflected in W.A.’s dominance of Australian hockey for 16 years. Her playing career was interrupted by World War II.
Her uncanny goal scoring skill was without parallel. At the 1938 interstate carnival she scored 20 of W.A.’s 30 goals, a feat that has never been approached. In 1936 she was Australia’s highest goal scorer on a tour of the United States and Canada and she also toured England and New Zealand with national teams. That year she achieved the remarkable feat of netting a total of 100 goals in club, interstate and international matches. No defence could subdue her.
Only twice in her long reign as State coach did W.A. fail to win the national title and she later went on to coach and manage Australian teams. She had a major influence on women’s hockey in three other States, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, where she also coached.
In all, May Campbell devoted 50 years to women’s hockey as a player, coach and administrator. In 1979 she was honoured during W.A.’s 150th birthday celebrations as the “all-time great of women’s hockey”.
The ultimate compliment was paid to her by legendary Indian Olympic hockey captain Dhyan Chand when he said: “May Campbell is one of the finest players I have seen, man or woman.”