Born Busselton WA
15 May 1949
Wendy Pritchard (nee Butcher) was yet another brilliant player to come out of the prolific hockey nursery of WA’s South-West. Born and educated in Busselton, she was already on the road to international success when she moved to Perth to start her tertiary education.
Pritchard began playing hockey at ten years of age and six years later played at the senior level for Western Australia.
At these national championships she was selected in the Australian Team after an outstanding series of performances.
Pritchard was chosen in 13 Western Australian and 11 Australian teams during her distinguished career.
Pritchard was principally a half-back but also played with distinction as an inside-forward.
She was explosively fast with good stamina and excelled in pressured game situations.
Pritchard’s ball skills were excellent and her passing always precise and astute.
However her greatest asset was her understanding of and ability to read the play and the state of a game.
To cap a wonderful playing career Pritchard was team manager for the national women’s team from 1993-2000. In this time Australia was pre-eminent and won two Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000. Her tactical knowledge and equable temperament were key factors in the team’s success.