Ray Brown has made an extraordinary and selfless contribution to hockey over a period of more than 50 years. These contributions include leadership roles, generation of practical ideas, financial management as well as the hands-on implementation of policies and projects. These contributions were made to the ACT and Australian Hockey Associations, The Hockey Centre and Central Hockey Club. As a practising Accountant and Foundation Treasurer of The Hockey Centre from 1984 until 2010, Ray’s financial knowledge and practical hands-on management expertise has been crucial throughout all stages of the planning, funding, development and operation of over $9 million capital investment in the playing and administration facilities at Lyneham and Tuggeranong. Financing multi-million dollar sports projects is a major challenge to sporting organisations, especially hockey. Ray made a major contribution to the development of the ACT Government’s Sports Low Interest Subsidy Scheme, which has not only assisted with the capital funding of the Hockey Centre but has also been used by other sports such as Basketball to develop their own sports facilities. Ray played a pivotal role in the development and introduction of Minkey Hockey (a modified version of hockey for children under 11 years of age) into the junior competition. Within four years the number of ACT Minkey teams grew from nil to over 120, and Minkey was subsequently adopted by all other States and Territories.
Born: 19 July 1934
Inducted: 2016
Deceased: 10 October 2022