Gwen Johnson's love of Milton Ulladulla Football Club remains strong and vibrant.
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Mrs Johnson loves the club and with great pleasure watched its impressive growth over many years.
The Milton Ulladulla Football Club, in return, have the utmost respect for Mrs Johnson.
"If there ever was a queen or matriarch of Milton Ulladulla Football Club, it would undoubtedly be Gwen," the club said in a lead up to celebrating the contributions made by Mrs Johnson and many other women.
Mrs Johnson will be making an appearance at Super Saturday.
Her love of the Milton Ulladulla Football Club has not faulted in the past 40-years.
The Panthers matriarch is still involved with primary girls soccer.
"It's a privilege to spend that time with the girls, watch them grow and build confidence," Mrs Johnson said.
She said being involved with primary girls soccer was "very rewarding".
Mrs Johnson added that the confidence and skill a young person gets from playing in a team sport flows into other areas of life, which is another thing she likes about football.
The football matriarch is the type of person who is willing to take important committee roles.
She served as the Panthers' treasurer for five formative years in the early 1980s.
Then she literally pulled on the boots to take on another role.
In 1985 with the inception of the first women's team in the Shoalhaven District Soccer Association's competition, Mrs Johnson took to the pitch.
"I enjoyed it [playing football] and it was the fittest I had ever been," she said.
Mrs Johnson said the Panthers' women side pioneers were a strong outfit and they "held their own" on the pitch.
Her children Gavin, Matthew and Nicole also played for the Panthers.
Last season was a successful one for the Panthers with premierships in the men's and women's first grade competitions.
Those successes were no doubt recorded by Mrs Johnson in her "book".
Last year she kept a book to follow and record all the teams' 2023 season efforts.
She particularly enjoyed seeing familiar names crop up - names of players she knew when they were running around in the junior grades.
Mrs Johnson may well make a special note in her book about how successful her beloved Milton Ulladulla Football Club was on Super Saturday.
She was a finalist in the rural over 30 section, recognising more than 50 years contributing to the community in a range of different ways.
Mrs Johnson's volunteering roles include a free learn-to-swim program, coaching soccer teams, tutoring students in math, and volunteering as a swim teacher for various groups.
Mrs Johnson said being involved with young people in the community had been a "joy".
