Inducted 2025
We are honoured to induct a true giant of our sport into the Queensland Netball Hall of Fame.
While she is sadly no longer with us, her legacy lives on in every corner of our game from local courts to national stages. It is with immense pride that we posthumously recognise the extraordinary contribution of June Bothwell AM.
June was a visionary and an innovator, a trailblazer who helped shape netball in Queensland into what it is today.
As President of Netball Queensland from 1999 to 2005, June led with clarity, courage, and compassion. She steered the organisation out of financial hardship and into a period of renewed growth and ambition. During her tenure, we saw the development of critical programs like the Dairy Farmers Cup, which evolved into today’s Hart Premier Netball League, as well as the establishment of Queensland’s first State Netball Centre, and ultimately, Nissan Arena.
But perhaps one of her most enduring legacies is the creation of the Queensland Firebirds. When national league expansion was proposed, June was unwavering in her belief that Queensland needed to be there because, as she said, our players deserve that opportunity.
She wasn’t just a president or administrator, she was deeply human in her leadership. A beautiful example of that is her relationship with a young Romelda Aiken, who had just arrived from Jamaica to join the Firebirds. June and her husband Cliff welcomed Romelda into their lives with warmth and care, helping her settle into Brisbane and supporting her through the early stages of her remarkable journey in purple. That act of kindness and belief is something Romelda has never forgotten and neither have we.
June served across every level of the game from coaching junior teams at Western Districts Netball Association, to sitting on the Netball Australia Board, to being a Life Member of Netball Queensland. Her legacy is not just in structures and competitions, it’s in the people she empowered, the culture she nurtured, and the future she helped build.
We honour her memory, her leadership, and her love for this game.